The Hawksbill Sea Turtle ranges over 150 million square miles, including the territorial waters of at least 112 nations. The Hawksbill Sea Turtle was listed in Appendix I in 1975. Cuba has a reservation on the Appendix I listing of the species. Japan had a reservation on the listing until 1992. From 1958 until 1993, approximately 150,000 Hawksbill Turtles were taken in Cuba.
Data provided in the proposal indicate that the population is declining now.
For long-lived species such as the Hawksbill Sea Turtle, the effects of overexploitation may not be seen for decades. Takings of the Hawksbill Sea Turtle in Cuba effect the species' status in other nations. For example, in years when the Cuban take was reduced, records of nesting Hawksbill Turtles on Mexico's Yucatan Peninsula increased. In 1991, Japan was sanctioned under the U.S. Pelly Amendment for its large-scale commercial, illegal trade in endangered sea turtles. In 1992 Japan lifted its reservation on the Appendix I listing of the Hawksbill Sea Turtle but there is evidence that extensive illegal trade in sea turtle shell continues in Japan.