Source: High North Web - News section. May 12, 1997.
CITES:
Secretariat Recommends Downlisting of Whale Stocks
The CITES Secretariat recommends that the five proposals to transfer various whale stocks from Appendix I to Appendix II are accepted. These proposals are submitted by Japan and Norway to the tenth Conference of the Parties to the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species, CITES, which will take place 9-20 June in Harare, Zimbabwe.
Three of the proposals relate to different minke whale stocks. Norway has proposed to downlist the North East Atlantic and the Central North Atlantic minke whale stocks, while Japan has proposed to downlist the Southern Hemisphere and the Okhotsk Sea West Pacific minke whale stocks. The Secretariat writes in its comments that "it seems that the whole" minke whale species "could be transferred to Appendix II because it does not qualify for inclusion in Appendix I with a total population of around one million animals".
The other two proposals relate to the Eastern Pacific stock of grey whales and the North Pacific Western stock of Bryde's whales. Although the grey whale proposal "does not provide comprehensive explanations and justifications," comments the Secretariat, "it appears that the stock under consideration does not meet the criteria for inclusion in Appendix I". The US has transferred this stock from the "Endangered" to the "Threatened" category under the Endangered Species Act, "which may be another argument in favour of the proposal," writes the CITES Secretariat.
The aim of CITES is to prevent international trade in specimens of wild animals and plants from being detrimental to their survival. Species threatened with extinction are included in Appendix I, and international trade in specimens of these species is not permitted. Species that are not threatened with extinction, but for which the international trade must be controlled in order to avoid utilization incompatible with their survival are listed in Appendix II. The same applies to species that can be mistaken for endangered species.
CITES adopted a non-binding resolution in 1979 which recommends the members not to issue any permit for international trade in whale products from a species or stock protected from commercial whaling by the International Whaling Commission (IWC). The IWC adopted a general ban on whaling in 1982, effective from 1986. Therefor the CITES Secretariat recommends that the proposals are transferred to Appendix II with a zero quota unless this CITES resolution is repealed. Japan has proposed to repeal this resolution.
At the last CITES meeting in 1994 a Norwegian proposal to downlist two North Atlantic minke whale stocks was rejected. Based on the resolution mentioned above, the CITES Secretariat recommended in 1994 that this proposal should be rejected. At the 1994 meeting new criteria for amendments of the Appendices were adopted. When these are applied, "it is clear that the criteria are not met and that the stocks concerned should be transferred to Appendix II," comments the Secretariat.
The minke whale was included in Appendix II in 1979. At the CITES meeting in 1983, a proposal by the Seychelles to include minke whale in Appendix I was adopted.