AC18 Doc. 7.1 CONVENTION ON INTERNATIONAL TRADE IN ENDANGERED SPECIES OF WILD FAUNA AND FLORA ___________________ Eighteenth meeting of the Animals Committee San José (Costa Rica), 8-12 April 2002 Implementation of Resolution Conf. 8.9 (Rev.) (Decision 11.106) PROGRESS ON THE IMPLEMENTATION OF THE REVIEW OF SIGNIFICANT TRADE (PHASES IV AND V) This document has been prepared by the Secretariat. Acipenseriformes (Phase IV) 1. The document in Annex 1 and the translations into French and Spanish have been prepared by TRAFFIC International in cooperation with IUCN and UNEP-WCMC, under contract to the CITES Secretariat. 2. Annex 1 consists of a review of four species of Acipenseriformes that are in commercial trade, and that were selected pursuant to Decision 11.95 directing the Animals Committee to include the Acipenseriformes in its Review of Significant Trade. The document deals with the following species of Acipenseriformes: Acipenser oxyrinchus p. 3 Acipenser persicus p. 19 Acipenser transmontanus p. 37 Scaphirhynchus platorynchus p. 57 3. The relevant parts of Annex 1 have been sent to all range States of the species concerned, but comments from the range States have either not yet been received or not yet been incorporated in the document. Testudinata (Phase IV) 4. The document in Annex 2 and the translations into French and Spanish have been prepared by IUCN, in cooperation with TRAFFIC and UNEP-WCMC, under contract to the CITES Secretariat. AC18 Doc. 7.1 – p. 1 5. It consists of a review of five species of testudines that were selected pursuant to Decision 11.93 requiring the Animals Committee to consider trade in specimens of CITES-listed freshwater turtles and tortoises in the context of the Review of Significant Trade. These five species are the following: Cuora amboinensis p. 71 Cuora flavomarginata p. 95 Cuora galbinifrons p. 109 Lissemys punctata p. 121 Pyxis planicauda p. 137 6. The relevant sections of Annex 2 have been sent to all range States of the species concerned, but comments from the range States have either not yet been received or not yet been incorporated in the document. Strombus gigas (Phase V) 7. At its 17th meeting (July 2001, Hanoi, Viet Nam), the Animals Committee decided to include Strombus gigas in Phase V of the Review of Significant Trade pursuant to Resolution Conf. 8.9 (Rev.). This species was also reviewed in Phase III of the Review of Significant Trade (initiated in September 1995). A consultant has been appointed by the Secretariat, and it is expected that a draft report on the results of the review will be available at the next meeting of the Animals Committee. AC18 Doc. 7.1 – p. 2 Annex 1 Acipenser oxyrinchus Mitchill, 1814 Atlantic Sturgeon Esturgeon de l’Atlantique Esturion del Atlantico Order: ACIPENSERIFORMES Family: ACIPENSERIDAE SUMMARY The Atlantic sturgeon Acipenser oxyrinchus is native to Canada and the United States of America (hereafter referred to as the USA). The species comprises two subspecies; the Atlantic sturgeon Acipenser oxyrinchus oxyrinchus which occurs in both range States, and the Gulf sturgeon Acipenser oxyrinchus desotoi which is endemic to the USA. All further references to Atlantic sturgeon refer to the subspecies A. o. oxyrinchus and not the full species. The historical range of the Atlantic sturgeon covered most of the eastern seaboard of North America, from Hamilton Inlet in Labrador, Canada to the St. Johns River in Florida. Gulf sturgeon are believed to have inhabited most major river systems from the Mississippi River to the Suwanee River, Florida, and marine waters of the central and eastern Gulf of Mexico south to Florida Bay. The overall range of both the Atlantic sturgeon and Gulf sturgeon remains relatively constant in comparison with their historic ranges. However, over the past century or more, habitat alterations and other factors have reduced the spawning range to a distinct subset of rivers. Populations of both subspecies are reduced from historic levels due to over-exploitation, but the present level of abundance throughout the range is uncertain. Current threats to the species include habitat alteration (e.g. construction, agriculture and industry), as well as bycatch. Adult Atlantic sturgeon inhabit mainly marine and brackish waters, ascending into fresh water for spawning only. Adults reach a size of up to 2 m and 60 kg, with a maximum lifespan of approximately 60 years. Sexual maturity varies: northern females mature at 24-28 years and males at 20-24 years, while southern females mature at 9- 15 years and males at 7-9 years. Unlike Atlantic sturgeon, adult Gulf sturgeon spend 8-9 months each year in rivers. They grow to a length of up to 2.4-2.7 m and a weight of up to 200-225 kg, with a lifespan of around 42 years. Timing, location, and habitat requirements for Gulf sturgeon spawning are poorly known, but females may mature at 7-17 years old. In the USA, the Gulf sturgeon is included in the Endangered Species Act as a “threatened” species and is fully protected from commercial harvest, but in 1998 it was decided that the Atlantic sturgeon should not be included under this legislation. Nonetheless, the Atlantic States of the USA have instituted a moratorium on all harvest of the Atlantic sturgeon that is likely to be in place for around 30 years. Harvest of the Atlantic sturgeon is restricted in Canada. No international trade in the species was reported from 1990-1995. During 1996-2000, trade has been composed mainly of meat and live specimens; Canada exported a total of 70 t of meat (all from wild sources), 18 110 live specimens and 4 000 fertilised eggs (all from captive-bred sources). Although annual export volumes show no consistent trend, it appears that, very generally, exports of meat are decreasing, and those of live specimens are increasing. Th e USA has been the largest importer of both Canada’s meat and live specimens. Canada sets annual harvest quotas for its commerical Atlantic sturgeon fisheries and has also suggested export levels for 2001. Captive propagation of Gulf Surgeon is underway and restocking is considered necessary for the recovery of this threatened subspecies. Canada has produced hatchery-reared Atlantic sturgeon for scientific purposes for a number of years, and using captive bred stock from Canada, the USA plans to initiate its own facilities for research and for consumption within the USA. The species is recommended under Decision 11.106 for inclusion in category 2/3. DISTRIBUTION AND POPULATION Also known as the black sturgeon, common sturgeon, Gulf of Mexico sturgeon, and the sea sturgeon, the CITES-listed species database gives the distribution of Acipenser oxyrinchus as: Bermuda; Canada; Mexico; and the USA (Anon., 2001a). However, the given distribution of Bermuda and Mexico is misleading and recent AC18 Doc. 7.1 – p. 3 literature does not consider these countries to be range States, although it is conceivable that transient specimens will occasionally be found within the jurisdiction of these countries (J. Waldman, Hudson River Foundation for Science and Environmental Research, in litt. to IUCN/SSC Wildlife Trade Programme 24 October 2001; Dr M.R. Collins, Marine Resources Research Institute, in litt. to IUCN/SSC Wildlife Trade Programme 5 October 2001). Bermuda and Mexico are therefore not considered further as range States for A. oxyrinchus. Note that although the CITES Checklists (Anon., 2001b; c) cite the spelling of the scientific name of Atlantic sturgeon as Acipenser oxyrhynchus, the correct spelling is actually Acipenser oxyrinchus (Anon., 2001a) and this spelling error will be corrected in subsequent editions. IUCN categorises A. oxyrinchus and its subspecies as (Anon., 1996): A. oxyrinchus Lower Risk Near Threatened (LR/nt) Canada, Mexico, USA [Atlantic (northwest, western central], based on the species not being Conservation Dependant, but almost qualifying for Vulnerable. A. o. desotoi Vulnerable (VU A1c) Mexico, USA [Atlantic (western central)], based on an estimated, inferred or observed 20% population reduction over the last three generations as a result of a decline in area of occupancy, extent of occurrence and/or quality of habitat. A. o. oxyrinchus Lower Risk Near Threatened (LR/nt) Canada, USA [Atlantic (northwest, western central)] The IUCN/SSC Sturgeon Specialist Group is currently reassessing the global Red List status of North American species and stocks of sturgeon and paddlefish. These reassessments will be submitted to the IUCN Red List Authority for sturgeon, to be evaluated for inclusion in the 2003 IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. The proposed categories are as follows: Acipenser oxyrinchus oxyrinchus Atlantic sturgeon - Near Threatened (R. St. Pierre, IUCN/SSC Sturgeon Specialist Group in litt. to IUCN/SSC Wildlife Trade Programme 28 September 2001). Acipenser oxyrinchus desotoi Gulf sturgeon - Vulnerable (F.M. Parauka, Gulf Sturgeon Recovery Team Member, USFWS cited in R. St. Pierre, IUCN/SSC Sturgeon Specialist Group in litt. to IUCN/SSC Wildlife Trade Programme 28 September 2001). The historical distribution of A. oxyrinchus is divided between that of two subspecies. The range of the Atlantic sturgeon A.( o. oxyrinchus) covered most of the eastern seaboard of North America, from Hamilton Inlet in Labrador, Canada to the St. Johns River in Florida. The other subspecies, the Gulf sturgeon (Acipenser o. desotoi), is believed to have occurred historically in most major river systems from the Mississippi River to the Suwanee River, Florida, and in marine waters of the central and eastern Gulf of Mexico south to Florida Bay (Wooley and Crateau, 1985). The overall range of both the Atlantic sturgeon and Gulf sturgeon remains relatively constant. However, over the past century or more, human-caused habitat alterations and other factors have reduced spawning range to a distinct subset of rivers. The population of A.