Seahorses (Hippocampus spp.)

Decision directed to Parties

To implement effectively the regulation of international trade in seahorses, source, transit, and consumer Parties for which there is evidence of illegal and/or unsustainable international trade in dried seahorses are encouraged to: a) collaborate with key stakeholders and species experts to develop national or regional plans of action to improve the implementation of CITES for seahorses and should, inter alia, include the following: i) encouraging collaboration and communication between key stakeholders at a national and regional level, including Environment, Fisheries and Enforcement agencies, with respect to CITES implementation and data gathering for the international trade in seahorses; ii) improving monitoring, detection and law enforcement activities related to seahorses in coastal areas and at transaction points (e.g. in the marketplace, online, in maritime areas, and at air- and seaports); iii) submitting comprehensive and accurate information on illegal international trade in seahorses in their annual illegal trade reports to the Secretariat, as required in compliance with Resolution Conf. 11.17 (Rev. CoP20) on National reports; iv) addressing the main drivers of illegal and unsustainable trade by effectively regulating and constraining the operations of non-selective fishing gears, such as bottom trawls and gillnets, to reduce their impacts on seahorses, and combating illegal, unregulated and unreported (IUU) fishing of seahorses by developing best practices for sustainable harvest; and b) share progress in developing and implementing these national or regional plans of action with the Secretariat for its report to the Standing Committee.