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Caviar trade in limbo as CITES tables 2006 export quotas |
01.06.2006
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GENEVA--Caviar export quotas for 2006 have not been published and won't be until exporting countries provide more information about the sustainability of their sturgeon catch, according to a Jan. 3 statement from the United Nation's agency in charge of the permits.
According to Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora, the shared fished grounds for sturgeon, prized for its caviar, are suffering "serious population declines." Exporting countries must factor in allowances for illegal fishing. Black market caviar accounts up to 90 percent of the global market, according to CITES.
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Aquaculture is not affected by the bans.
Here in the United States, borders have been closed for months to beluga sturgeon products from the Caspian and Black Seas. The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service halted the import and re-export of Caspian Sea beluga products in September and in October, added Black Sea countries. Since October 2004, beluga sturgeon has been listed as threatened under the Endangered Species Act.
The 169 member countries of CITES, including the United States, have set, strict conditions for permitting caviar exports. CITES seeks to regulate and monitor international wildlife trade through a system of permits issued by the group.
The global ban on caviar trade is welcome news to watchdog groups such as Miami-based Caviar Emptor, which has been lobbying for a global ban for five years.
"The ban is good news for sturgeon that are on the brink of extinction, especially the Caspian Sea beluga sturgeon, which has lost 90 percent of its population in just 20 years due to over fishing for beluga caviar," according to a Caviar Emptor prepared statement.
Caviar Emptor petitioned the USFWS to protect beluga under the Endangered Species Act.
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