[Federal Register Volume 62, Number 234 (Friday, December 5, 1997)]
[Proposed Rules]
[Pages 64347-64348]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 97-31926]


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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.

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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 mid-
1970'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,

[[Page 64348]]

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