USL?

[Kalkbreath]

ninty nine percent of all seahorses collected are by non CITES asian countries........
_________________
Honda CB350

 

[JennM]

Not to argue semantics, but last time I heard, seahorses were considered "vulerable" by the WWF (that may have changed - somebody please correct me if I'm wrong).

Are seahorses considered for the USL? If so, IMO they shouldn't be, WC or otherwise. They are quite easily kept by hobbyists who set up a species tank.

I buy CB horses now but I have bought WC ones in the past (now CB are more readily available). The real issue with seahorse collection is for Traditional Asian Medicine -- will CITES protect them from harvest for this or the souvenir trade? It makes me SICK to go into beachside gift shops to see a bin full of dried seahorses....

Where seahorses are concerned, IMO it's NOT the hobbyist that's a detriment, most hobbyists try to breed them and rear the fry -- it's the TCM and trinket trade.

JMO

Jenn

 

[dizzy]

ninty nine percent of all seahorses collected are by non CITES asian countries........

Kalk,
I don't know about your numbers, but the jest is correct. At the COP12 meeting they acknowledged that the pet trade in seahorses is very low. The curio and medicine guys are the ones doing the damage. naesco I currently have 10 wild seahorses in my collection that eat frozen mysis very well. I am hoping to breed them and I don't particularly care if you like it or not.

Putting Seahorses on Appendix II was significant for a couple of reasons. From Pet Letter Winter 2003: "With the Seahorse listing, increased consideration of marine proposals should be expected in the future, including possible listings of reef species common to the ornamental trade."
Sounds like the USL is on the way.

Also from the Pet Letter: "Marine listings represent particular enforcement problems, and there has been a reluctance to place such species on CITES' appendices." This suggests they realize that checking for CITES prohibited species is likely to greatly slow the process of clearing the fish through customs, and thus adding stress and mortality to the entire shipment.

The Pet Letter also discusses the issues of allowing the trade in captive breed Appendix I species. Currently it is very difficult or impossible to trade internationally, Appendix I species that are captive breed, even if the species is in abundance. More Pet Letter: " This anomaly represents a problem for the convention, because captive breeding can be a primary means of returning an endangered species to healthy population levels. It is this reason the treaty specifically allows for commercial trade of Appendix I species bred in captivity."

I believe they are saying you can trade captive raised Appendix I species that were raised in that country. They realize that if you take away this incentive, "The result could be a risk to survival of a species that could be saved if captive breeding operations are appropriately recognized."

Sounds like the Ocean Rider Seahorses will be legal in the US, while the Australian and New Zealand (ORA) ones will not. You Canadians better start setting up some pairs if you want Seahorses in your future.

 

[MaryHM]

Seahorses should never be a part of the USL because they do not fit into any of the 3 categories required for listing. I don't import seahorses because getting wild ones to eat can be a pain and their populations are steadily declining. People who want seahorses should get captive raised ones. They are readily available and will eat!

 

[clarionreef]

Hello all,
Regarding the hundreds of kilos of seahorses for the trade in romance pills and powder...[ which don't work by the way except as a placebo ]
...And missing the mark by miles and miles in only focusing and restricting the aquarium trade...establishing a precedent here for anthropormorphism as a basis for regulation.
Why don't we just tax seahorses's , [say .50 cents ea] and start a substitute viagra fund for the poor saps who think dead seahorses will help them?
True to government bureaucratic, self serving form, the research and development of seahorse breeding efforts will also be impeded with the new approach. Even tank bred ones will be under serious scrutiny and regulation making it more expensive and less logical to cultivate more seahorses. My own local Fish and Wildlife officer told me that a bag-born mass of 80 new babies could constitute a misdeclaration and therefore smuggling.
Protecting seahorse? Of course...as we should also protect blue tangs, pinatus batfish, eco systems and coral reefs. Wheres the scientific priority in assessing this??
Seperating ALL seahorse species [ because they can't tell the differences] and taking the popular, anthropormorphic , in- vogue, "discovery channel" approach to fishery regulation sets a bad precedent.
I for one don't have any passion or energy to spare for seahorse per se...I'd much rather focus on an ecosystem approach, a scientific approach and employing alternative fisheries for fisherman. The fact that the pet trade consumes a percent or two of the worlds seahorses entitles them to 99% of the blame and focus? I've been in too many wharehouses in Asia that stacked cubic square foot blocks of dried seahorses to take this seriously. Comon CITIES people. Who gets your attention and how they get noticed seems to be the real story here.
No, I won't weep for the seahorse...because everyone else is going to already!!
Ban the seahorse...save the ocean! These bumperstickers ordered yet?
What we really need are alternative love potions for old fools trying to impress women by killing every thing they imagine assists in their lost cause...
Steve
PS. And to of course breed as many seahorse as possible before that becomes impeded by the "well intentioned" ban.