Federal Register / Vol. 62, No. 234 / Friday, December 5, 1997 / Proposed Rules 64347

Species

Historic range

Vertebrate

population

where endangered or

threatened

Status When listed Critical

habitat

Special

rules Common name Scientific name

* * * * * * *

CRUSTACEANS

* * * * * * *

Amphipod, Kauai cave Spelaeorchestia

koloana.

U.S.A. (HI) ................... NA E .................... .................... ....................

* * * * * * *

Dated: November 3, 1997.

John G. Rogers,

Acting Director, Fish and Wildlife Service.

[FR Doc. 97–31839 Filed 12–4–97; 8:45 am]

BILLING CODE 4310–55–P

DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR

Fish and Wildlife Service

50 CFR Part 23

Listing of all Sturgeon and Paddlefish

Species and Their Products in the

Appendices to the Convention on

International Trade in Endangered

Species of Wild Fauna and Flora

(CITES) and its Implementation by the

United States; Public Meetings

AGENCY: U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service,

Interior.

ACTION: Notice of public meetings.

SUMMARY: With this notice the U.S. Fish

and Wildlife Service (Service)

announces 2 public meetings to discuss

the implementation of the listing of all

sturgeon and paddlefish, and their

products in the Convention on

International Trade in Endangered

Species of Wild Fauna and Flora

(CITES). This listing decision was

reached at the Tenth Conference of the

CITES Parties (COP10) which was held

in June of 1997. The listing becomes

effective April 1, 1998. With the listing

of all sturgeon and paddlefish species in

CITES, this fishery product is now

covered by the Service’s regulations

regarding import or export of wildlife.

The focus of the meeting will be on

aspects of importation of caviar and

other sturgeon products into the United

States.

DATES: A public meeting in New York

City, NY will be held on January 17,

1998, from 8:00 am–12:00 noon, and a

public meeting in Los Angeles, CA will

be held on January 27, 1998, from 8:00

am–12:00 noon.

ADDRESSES: The public meeting in New

York City will be held at St. John’s

University, Bent Hall Seminar Room,

8000 Utopia Parkway, Jamaica, NY

11439. The public meeting in Los

Angeles will be held at The Westin (Los

Angeles Airport) Hotel, 5400 West

Century Boulevard, Los Angeles, CA

90045. Please note that the rooms for

these meetings are accessible to the

handicapped.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Dr.

Rosemarie Gnam, Office of Management

Authority, U.S. Fish and Wildlife

Service, telephone (703) 358–2095, fax

(703) 358–2298.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

Background

The Convention on International

Trade in Endangered Species of Wild

Fauna and Flora, hereinafter referred to

as CITES or the Convention, is an

international treaty designed to control

international trade in certain animal and

plant species which are or may become

threatened with extinction, and are

listed in Appendices to the Convention.

Currently, 143 countries, including the

United States, are CITES Parties.

The Service is the lead agency for the

implementation of CITES. As such, we

are responsible for implementing recent

decisions from the Tenth Conference of

the Parties (COP10) which was held this

past June in Zimbabwe. Among the

decisions made at COP10, was to

include all unlisted species of sturgeon

and paddlefish in Appendix II of CITES.

This listing becomes effective April 1,

1998 (see 62 FR 44627).

The order, Acipenseriformes, are a

primitive group of approximately 27

species of fish, whose biological

attributes make them vulnerable to

intensive fishing pressure or other

agents of elevated adult mortality.

Although females produce large

quantities of eggs, juvenile mortality is

high; sturgeons are generally long-lived

and slow to mature (reaching sexual

maturity at 6–25 years); and depend on

large rivers to spawn. Sturgeons are

fished for meat and caviar, with caviar

being the most valuable product and in

highest demand in international trade.

Many species of sturgeons, the primary

source of commercial caviar, have

experienced severe population declines

worldwide because of both habitat

destruction and excessive take for

international trade. Some are at serious

risk of extinction.

Sturgeons of the Caspian Sea produce

what is claimed to be the highest quality

caviar and are the source of more than

90% of the world caviar trade. Russia,

Kazakhstan, Azerbaijan, Turkmenistan,

and Iran now supply most of the caviar

from the Caspian Sea. Since the mid1970’s very marked declines in the

populations of all six of the Caspian

Sea’s sturgeon species have been noted,

especially Beluga (Huso huso), Russian

(Acipenser gueldenstaedtii), and stellate

(A. stellatus) sturgeons. Five of the six

species of Caspian Sea sturgeons are

considered endangered by IUCN (the

World Conservation Union). The

problem has become exacerbated in

recent years due to deteriorating fishery

management and enforcement

capabilities in the region, resulting in

significant levels of poaching and illegal

trade. The total present take is believed

to far exceed sustainable levels.

In an effort to curtail the trade in

illegally obtained [poached] caviar, and

to ensure sustainable use and

management of wild sturgeon,

particularly those of the Caspian Sea,

sturgeon were considered for listing in

CITES. These concerns led to the

development of the CITES listing

proposal by Germany to include all

presently unlisted species of sturgeons

in Appendix II. CITES could provide a

regulatory mechanism for import and

export that could curtail the illegal

caviar trade and reduce threat to the

wild populations. The United States,

both as a sturgeon range state and major

importer of Caspian Sea caviar, agreed

to co-sponsor the CITES listing proposal

with Germany.

At COP10 held in Zimbabwe, this past

June, the proposal to include all

unlisted sturgeon species in CITES was

adopted by consensus. Prior to COP10,
64348 Federal Register / Vol. 62, No. 234 / Friday, December 5, 1997 / Proposed Rules

Short nosed sturgeon (A. brevirostrum)

and Baltic sturgeon (A. sturio) were

listed in CITES Appendix I and Atlantic

sturgeon (A. oxyrhynchus) and

American paddlefish (Polydon

spathula) were listed in CITES

Appendix II. Five of the newly listed

species were listed in Appendix II

because of their population status and

trade levels: Beluga, Russian, stellate,

Siberian (A. baerii), and ship or spiny

(A. nudiventris) sturgeons. All other

species of sturgeons not already listed in

CITES before COP10 were included in

Appendix II because of the similarity of

appearance of their caviar to that of the

Caspian Sea species. This includes the

white sturgeon (A. transmontanus) from

North America. The end result is that all

sturgeon and paddlefish species

worldwide, are now covered under the

provisions of CITES.

The listing of sturgeon will provide a

regulatory mechanism for the import

and export of sturgeon and their

products, thereby curtailing the illegal

caviar trade and detriment to the wild

populations, notably those of the

Caspian Sea. It will ensure sustainable

use and management of wild sturgeon

stocks.

With the listing of all sturgeon and

paddlefish species in CITES at COP10,

this fishery product is now covered by

the Service’s regulations regarding

import or export of wildlife. All

sturgeon species, their parts and

products, including meat and caviar,

will have to be declared to the Service

upon import or export, as well as meet

applicable permit, port and licensing

requirements.

These public meetings will provide an

opportunity for the Service to meet with

importers and exporters of sturgeon and

their products, notably caviar, Customs

brokers and other interested persons on

the CITES listing. The Service will

explain the wildlife regulations which

will now affect sturgeon imports and

exports, and how these requirements

will be implemented. Given that the

United States is the largest importer of

caviar from the Caspian Sea region,

focus of the meeting will primarily be

on imports of caviar products, notably

from Russia, Kazakhstan, Azerbaijan,

Turkmenistan, and others.

The public meetings will be held in

New York City and Los Angeles because

of the high volume of caviar imports

through these ports, and the

corresponding concentration of affected

members of the general public.

The Service has prepared a fact sheet,

‘‘Sturgeons and CITES’’ to help answer

questions on the listing and its

implementation. It is available from the

Office of Management Authority upon

request. Written requests should be sent

to: U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service,

Office of Management Authority, 4401

N. Fairfax Drive, room 700, Arlington

VA 22203.

Author: This notice was prepared by

Dr. Rosemarie Gnam, Office of

Management Authority, U.S. Fish and

Wildlife Service.

Dated: November 25, 1997.

Jamie Rappaport Clark,

Director, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.

[FR Doc. 97–31926 Filed 12–4–97; 8:45 am]

BILLING CODE 4310–55–P