International Trade of Coral Reef Species: A Key Issue for ICRI

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International Trade of Coral Reef SpeciesA Key
Issue for ICRI
Barbara Best U.S. Agency for International
Development
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• Overview of international trade and coral reefs
• CITES - corals and coral products
• CITES COP and upcoming issues
• ICRIs involvement in trade issues
• International
• Ethical concerns - wild animal and pet trade
• Largely unregulated trade illegal, unreported

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Contribution of International Trade to Coral
Reef Crisis

• Over 90 of reefs are missing some species of
  high economic value (Reef Check)
• Overfishing and Destructive Fishing are principal
  threats to reefs in SE Asia - Indonesia,
  Philippines (WRI Reefs at Risk)
• Localized depletion of major groups, rare animals
  
• Impacts on remote reefs

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Major Issues

• Trade drives destructive and over-fishing
• - Use of poisons (cyanide)
• - Removal of reef base (live rock), essential
  fish habitat
• - Unsustainable collection, targeted groups,
  rare animals
• - Ecosystem impacts
• Collecting from deeper reefs
• Expanding ornamental trade, commercial uses
• - home, office, restaurant, public aquaria
• Ethical concerns - wild animal and pet trade
• Largely unregulated trade illegal, unreported

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Socio-economic Consequences of Destructive/Unsusta
inable Fishing

• Reduces value of reefs to local communities
• Threatens food security and livelihoods
• Few incentives for long-term sustainable use
• - highly mobile, few benefits for communities
• Health impacts on divers/collectors
• - paralysis/death from the bends
• - paralysis in 20 of divers, 4 mortality

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Trade is Driven by Consumer Demand

• To buy or not to buy,
• To import or not to import,
• To collect or not to collect,
• These are some of the questions.
• ? Exporting and importing countries
• share responsibility

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International Trade

• Live food fish trade ? to Asian markets
• Medicinal/food trades
• Marine ornamental trade ? to U.S. markets
• U.S. major consumer for aquarium trade
• - live coral, marine fishes, live rock
• U.S. major consumer for curio, jewelry trade
• - coral skeletons, precious corals, shells

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Global Trade Analysis by WCMCGlobal Marine
Aquarium Database

• 20 - 24 Million fish in trade each year
• 1,470 species
• Major exporters Philippines, Indonesia, Solomon
  Islands, Sri Lanka
• Major importers U.S., EU, Japan
• 11 - 12 Million corals in trade each year
• 140 species stony corals each year, 60 species of
  soft corals
• Major exporters Indonesia, Fiji
• Major importers U.S., EU, Japan, Canada

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U.S. Role in Aquarium Trade

• U.S. imports
• 80 of all live corals.
• 95 of the live rock
• 50 (8 million) marine aquarium fish per year.
• Concerns over fishing, cyanide, handling,
  transport practices.

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U.S. Efforts to Address International Trade
Impacts

• Promote awareness/action in international arena
• Reduce use of poisons
• Reduce spread of cyanide use - East Africa,
  Pacific
• Strengthen management, enforcement capacity
• Strengthen environmental awareness and change
• Development assistance to 25 countries, 40 M/yr
• ? Development assistance undermined by
  economic incentives of trade

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ICRI Decision, November 2003

• Mandate of Trade Working Group
• - Explore opportunities to highlight coral reef
  fishery issues at 10th ICRS
• - Examine opportunities for ICRI to engage in
  CITES coral reef trade issues
• - Examine role and responsibilities of Working
  Group

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Mandate 1 Highlight Coral Reef Fishery Issues at
10th ICRS

• Mini-symposia proposed and organized
• - New Approaches to Sustaining Coral Reef
  Ecosystems and their Fisheries - Tom Hourigan,
  NOAA
• - Addressing Sustainability of the
  Ornamental Coral Reef Species Trade - Andy
  Bruckner, NOAA
• - Sustainable Use of Coral Reef Resources
• - Barbara Best, USAID

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Mandate 2 Explore Opportunities for ICRI to
Engage in CITES Issues

• Upcoming coral reef proposals at CITES COP
• Delist coral rock and coral substrate (not live
  rock)
• List humphead wrasse on Appendix II
• Use universal minimum size (10 cm) for seahorses
• Extend deadline for analyzing international trade
  in sea cucumbers
• -gt Proposed International Trade Resolution

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Convention on International Trade of Endangered
Species (CITES)

• Aims to regulate trade in threatened and
  endangered species for protection of species and
  role in ecosystem
• Species should be listed if
• - trade exceeds that level that can be continued
• - trade is reducing population so that other
  threats may affect them
• - trade impacts its role in ecosystem
• No trade for species on Appendix I
• Non-detriment finding for species on Appendix II
  
• - maintain population of species throughout its
  range,
• - maintain level that is consistent with its
  role in the ecosystem

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CITES and Corals

• International concern about level and impact of
  trade on corals lead to listing of corals and
  coral products in 80s
• - coral sand, rock, substrate, rubble
• Appendix II listing of corals helped Philippines
  and other countries control illegal exports of
  corals and coral products, protect their reefs
• All stony corals listed through look alike
  clause
• Recently, coral sand and small coral rubble
  delisted
• - Now, no monitoring or regulation of these
  products

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International Trade Continues

• Aquarium trade continues to increase by 10-30
  per yr
• Trade in live corals increased 400 since 1988
• Trade in live reef rock increased 1700 since
  1988
• Over 2000 species estimated to be in trade
• - most are not listed on CITES
• Over 400 coral reef species have been identified
  as inappropriate species for aquaria
• do not survive well in aquaria or are highly
  poisonous

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CITES and Fossil Coral

• CITES does not cover fossil specimens
• Are coral products fossils? Skeletal reef
  base
• UK commissioned study to define coral fossil
• Study recommended that coral products which were
  buried be called fossil
• Burial could be by covering of coralline algae
• Objections to proposed fossil definition
• No change in material (lithification,
  mineralization)
• Products still have functional role in ecosystem,
  habitat
• No consensus on definition within Coral Working
  Group

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Recommendations of Coral Working Group, April
2004

• Since no consensus on definition of fossil coral,
  recommended that
• Coral products be defined based upon packaging
• Coral substrate if shipped submerged in
  seawater
• Coral rock if shipped dry
• Live rock if shipped moist
• Coral rock and coral substrate be considered as
  fossils and exempt from CITES
• Live rock remain on Appendix II

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U.S. Concerns over Recommendations of Coral
Working Group

• Definition is based upon packaging of product
• Only separate treatment of animal specimens in
  CITES that is based on product description and
  packaging methods
• U.S. CITES Enforcement Authority sees enforcement
  problems
• Definition will provide opportunities to
  circumvent the intent of CITES by shipping live
  rock dry and reconstituting it later
• Already seeing increase in shipments of coral
  rock
• May lead to further increase in trade and
  degradation of coral reefs

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Poster Abstract at 10th ICRS

• An Evaluation of the Live Rock Fishery and its
  Consequences - Samasoni Sauni, Mecki Kronen ,
  Aliti Vunisea, Lilian Fay Sauni
• Coral and coral reef fisheries were investigated
  in Fiji for localized ecological effects of live
  rock fishery.
• Study found significant differences in habitat
  health between target and non-targeted biotopes
  of extraction areas.
• Study found species-specific impacts on coralline
  algae feeders.
• Socioeconomic implications of the trade suggest
  short-term cash benefits enjoyed by just a few
  participating households.

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Mandate 3 Examine Potential Role and
Responsibility of Trade Working Group

• Yes, need for Trade Working Group
• Ongoing Discussions

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Protecting Reefs, Conserving Biodiversity, Helping
People
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(No Transcript)
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Potential SolutionsImporting Countries

• Assist source countries on achieving effective
  management, institutional strengthening
• Create market incentives by shifting the
• burden of proof of sustainable use
• - Burden to prove that no harm done by those who
  profit
• - Importing countries can use
• creative trade measures and
• require self-certification by
• importers

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Potential Solutions Exporting Countries

• Require management plan before allowing
  collection and export of any species
• - we can not keep up with shifting trade
• Promote use of individual concessions
• - strong stewardship incentive
• Establish cyanide testing facilities
• - require random fish testing, paid by export
  fees
• Explore use of replenishment reserves
• - Hawaii major exporter of aquarium fish

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Potential Solution Mariculture

• Freshwater aquaria
• 2 wild, 98 cultured
• Marine aquaria
• 98 wild, 2 cultured
• Replace wild animals with maricultured
• - only allow maricultured animals
• Promote mariculture in source country
• - ensure benefits to local communities
• - prevent release of exotic
• or invasive animals, diseases

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Potential Solutions? Fish Replenishment Areas in
Hawaii

• Top ten aquarium fish species ? 59 over 20
  years
• - fish collection increased 67, 1993-1995
• Fish replenishment areas, west side of Big
  Island
• - 30 of collection area set aside as no-take
• ? Area not sufficient for sustainability
• Explore setting aside higher area as reserves
• Explore use of individual concession areas
• Restrict collection to shallow waters

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What Can You Do to Help Protect Reefs?

• Become an informed, responsible consumer and
  educate others on the impacts of overfishing
• Promote scientific analysis and synthesis of
  appropriate species and levels of collection
• Determine guidelines for collection limits,
  species
• Recommend more sustainable trade approaches and
  policies, demonstration of sustainability
• Recommend that non-sustainable animals and
  products, and inappropriate animals, be removed
  from trade