CITES - so far so good!

Source.

Great.

The Mako and Rhino Ray listings have been approved.

Now everything will need to get formally ratified in the plenary session, and I got little doubt that it will. So well done everybody - and well done El Diego and Debbie for continuing to shed a light on the trade!

And what about Fiji?

As always, we are working on something - and should it eventuate, it will be good news.

Keep watching this space! 

PS - all have been adopted, and some endangered Sea Cucumbers, too!
 

CITES Cop 18 - it's Complicatedl!

So here we go.

The postponed CITES Cop is upon us.

"Our" people are advocating the listing of the two Makos, plus the Wedge- and Giant Guitarfishes - great guide here. For what it is worth, I've said what I wanted to say about the Makos here, and I fully support the listing of those poor highly targeted and now critically endangered Rays.

But that's not why I'm posting this.

Whilst searching for background info, I've stumbled about this post but above all, this in-depth position paper by the WWF. It's great stuff and should you be interested in the topic, I warmly recommend that you read it.

It is also bloody complicated.

Like always, achieving lasting wildlife conservation = halting extinction and limiting long-term mortality to below sustainable levels -which if we're honest is really the only thing that ultimately counts- is way more complex, detailed and comprehensive, and also way more challenging than commonly thought, see e.g. the reflections about hunting quotas, or the ongoing nightmare of trying to get a handle on the ivory trade (also read this!), or those dreadful tiger farms, or the often difficult coexistence between rural communities and wildlife to cite but a few, some of which requiring compromises that may greatly challenge one's ethical sensibilities.

Anyway.

When I read about representatives of  183 countries, 56 new proposals and about 550 species being affected, it promises to get interesting to say the least!

So best of luck everybody.

And to you all out there, beware of pied pipers and simple solutions!

Let's go Shark diving - sustainably!
 

Mako Sharks - CITES Listing?

Source.

Behold!

Great job by Shawn and Riley.

I'm not really sure that from a conservation POV, Makos deserve global protection via the proposed CITES listing as I would argue that contrary to what is happening in the Atlantic, e.g. SoPac stocks are faring rather well - but I certainly advocate acting in a precautionary and proactive manner and in that sense, the NDFs mandated by CITES will certainly be helpful.

So, well done guys.

But I'm digressing as always.

Enjoy!

Mystery Wedgefish?

The CITES CoP18 will be held in Colombo in May. 

Among the species proposed for listing are the Wedgefishes and Giant Guitarfishes that are both being persecuted mercilessly for their fins, and ever more threatened with extinction as a consequence.
 
Above is a Wedgefish from Fiji - click for detail.

The pics are from the FB page of the Waidroka Bay Resort, i.e. from just around the corner. Our local Wedgefishes are a bit of a mystery and consistently being misidentified, mostly as Rhynchobatus djiddensis which this one is clearly not - so which one is it?

Brand-new ID guide right here.

Thoughts?

PS: indeed R. australiae or laevis - or yet another undescribed Wedgefish from that species complex. That said, Kerstin has already identified australiae by DNA barcoding back in 2015!
And, remember?