The 33rd CITES Animals Committee (AC33) meeting, held from 12 to 19 July in Geneva, Switzerland, made significant progress on aquatic species trade, building on the outcomes of the previous AC meeting and the Conference of the Parties (COP) in Panama, where many commercially exploited shark species were listed in CITES Appendix II. These species, as well as rays, eels, seahorses, and ornamental fishes, were prominently featured on the agenda. Especially commercially exploited sharks and rays dominated discussions and side events.
EBCD actively participated in the sharks and rays Working Group, where Parties and observers discussed harvesting from shared stocks and trade of specimens from Areas Beyond National Jurisdiction (ABNJ). In this regard, to help harmonise data collection and ensure robust assessments take place, the CITES Secretariat was encouraged to liaise with relevant Regional Fisheries Bodies (RFBs) on capacity-building opportunities and to collaborate closely with the FAO on verifying information in their shark measures database.
All adopted recommendations and decisions for the next CITES COP (planned tentatively to take place in Uzbekistan in 2025) can be found here.
