Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species (CITES) Notification; Recommendations From CITES Secretariat Regarding Prohibitions of Trade in Certain Animal Species From Several Countries

This is a schedule III notice. This notice supersedes paragraph J of Notice of Information Number 23 published in the Federal Register on December 7, 1994 (59 FR 63101), and adds import restrictions to those addressed in Notice of Information Number 23. Wildlife subject to this notice is subject to detention, refusal of clearance or seizure, and forfeiture if imported into the United States. Violators may also be subject to criminal or civil prosecution. On January 20, 1995, the CITES Secretariat issued Notification to the Parties No. 833 urging Parties to suspend imports of certain animal species from the following twelve countries: Argentina, Azerbaijan, China, Indonesia, Latvia, Lithuania, Madagascar, Peru, Republic of Moldova, Solomon Islands, Ukraine, and the United Republic of Tanzania. That Notification superseded Notification to the Parties No. 800, which was implemented by the Fish and Wildlife Service (Service) in Notice of Information 23. Several of the import suspensions in Notification to the Parties No. 833 were identical to Notification to the Parties No. 800, three were in addition, and one suspension was removed. The restrictions on imports of Rana tigerina and Rana hexadactyla from India, announced in Notice of Information No. 23, paragraph D, continue in effect even though India is no longer addressed by the Standing Committee recommendations on significant trade in Appendix II species. The Secretariat has indicated that India prohibits the harvesting and export of these species. It recommends that the parties continue to prohibit the import of such species from India. This notice fully implements those changes. Notification was based on a decision made by the CITES Standing Committee during a meeting held in November, 1994, which asked CITES Party countries to suspend imports in certain animal species from the affected countries, and was in addition to decisions made by the Standing Committee in its meeting on April 21, 1994 (published in the Federal Register on December 7, 1994). All of these actions were authorized by CITES Resolution Conference 8.9, adopted at the Eighth Meeting of the Conference of the Parties in Kyoto, Japan, in 1992, which established a procedure for developing remedial actions and calling for implementation by party countries through import suspensions, if voluntary compliance by exporting countries is not satisfactory, and were strongly endorsed in discussions at the Ninth Meeting of the Conference of the Parties in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, in November, 1994.