Why decisions made at CITES CoP matter for seahorses
Insights from Dr Sarah Foster, Project Seahorse Program Leader, reporting from CoP20 in Samarkand, Uzbekistan.
I’m honoured to be at the 20th meeting of the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES) Conference of the Parties (CoP), representing the IUCN as the Focal Point for global fisheries and trade for the IUCN SSC Seahorse, Pipefish and Seadragon Specialist Group, which Project Seahorse hosts.
This is where 185 Parties (member governments) set the CITES agenda for the next three years, shaping species protections, implementation efforts, and the work of the Convention’s technical and enforcement committees. Thousands of people from hundreds of countries and organizations are here in Samarkand, endeavouring to ensure international trade does not harm wild populations of the 40,000+ species listed on the CITES Appendices.
Marine species are a major part of the agenda – even here in Uzbekistan, one of the world’s few double-landlocked countries. Quite a few species, from abalone to sea cucumbers to sharks, are proposed for listing on Appendix II, which would regulate their international trade to ensure sustainability and legality. Parties will also consider banning commercial international trade for some sharks by moving them from Appendix II to Appendix I. Listing proposals often capture the headlines, but the less-flashy agenda items on improving implementation of previous commitments are equally vital.
Strengthening the existing CITES listing for seahorses is the main reason I’m here. Seahorses have been on Appendix II for over two decades, yet the Convention is still working out how to get it right for the large dried-seahorse trade. Most of the many millions of dried seahorses entering international markets each year come from non-selective fishing gears – especially bottom trawls and gillnets – and/or are smuggled without permits. Perhaps it is not surprising that, at a recent side event, seahorses were cited as an example of how CITES “doesn’t work” for aquatic species. Yet that narrative misses the real story.
In fact, increasing numbers of governments are making significant efforts to regulate the seahorse trade sustainably, although obstacles persist.
Here in Samarkand, the CoP is considering Decisions for seahorses – formal mandates that guide action between CoPs – that are prompting important steps forward: from boosting efforts to combat illegal trade, to encouraging governments to plan and implement actions addressing illegal or unsustainable trade.
At the side event we are hosting on the 29th November, several Parties will highlight some of the important advances that have arisen directly from the Appendix II listing:
- Brazil, Indonesia, and the Philippines: They have all established national plans of action for seahorses, and both Indonesia and the Philippines have recently completed key CITES sustainability assessments for proposed exports using guidance that Project Seahorse produced.
- Thailand: Once the world’s largest legal exporter of dried seahorses, Thailand has created a technical working group to drive CITES implementation and is developing a much-needed monitoring programme to track wild populations.
In a world of limited government resources and competing priorities, CITES keeps seahorses firmly on the agenda for fisheries, oceans and conservation agencies alike.
Yes, there is still a lot to do, and it needs to happen faster. Protecting seahorses requires every range state to turn global commitments into national-level action: safeguarding habitats, regulating harmful fishing gear, and stopping illegal trade where it matters most.
Seahorses were the first marine fishes vote onto CITES Appendix II. This means that we are always pioneering CITES and national action for other fish, using the quirky seahorses to forge new opportunities for sharks, rays, eels and many more.
When it comes to advancing seahorse conservation, Project Seahorse and the IUCN Specialist Group benefit from the CITES Appendix II listing because it holds nations to account in a way that little else could. Seeing the opportunity to deploy our unparalleled expertise on seahorse fisheries and trade, we have provided the vast majority of technical and policy support on seahorses to governments. Should Parties agree to the Decisions on seahorses under consideration at this CoP, we will, of course, again offer them our expertise to help drive seahorse conservation in their waters.