Report of the Third FAO Expert Advisory Panel for the Assessment of Proposals to Amend Appendices I and II of CITES Concerning commercially-exploited aquatic species, Rome, 7-12 December 2009

The third FAO Expert Advisory Panel for the Assessment of Proposals to Amend Appendices I and II of CITES Concerning Commercially-exploited Aquatic Species was held at FAO headquarters from 7 to 12 December 2009. The Panel was convened in response to the agreement by the twenty-fifth session of the FAO Committee on Fisheries (COFI) on the terms of reference for an expert advisory panel for assessment of proposals to the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES), and to the endorsement of the twenty-sixth session of COFI to convene the Panel for relevant proposals to future CITES Conference of the Parties. The objectives of the Panel were to: i) assess each proposal from a scientific perspective in accordance with the CITES biological listing criteria (Resolution Conf. 9.24 [Rev. CoP13]); ii) comment, as appropriate, on technical aspects of the proposal in relation to biology, ecology, trade and management issues, as well as, to the extent possible, the likely effectiveness for conservation.