The new regulation will enhance wild sturgeon conservation. An increasing international market for Caspian Sea sturgeon prompted the 146 CITES member nations to regulate as of April 1, 1998, commercial trade in all sturgeon and paddlefish species and their products, including caviar, by adding the species to CITES Appendix II. Since that date, the United States and its CITES partners have required that caviar importations be accompanied by CITES permits from the exporting or re-exporting countries. By issuing these permits, countries ensure that the caviar contained in a shipment was legally acquired and that trade does not threaten the survival of wild sturgeon. Shipments in which the caviar was certified by the exporting country to have been acquired before the April 1998 controls, were issued special certificates attesting to that fact. The 1998 regulations also limited the amount of caviar individuals could legally bring into or take out of the United States to 250 grams of caviar per person per trip for personal use.
As a side benefit, the regulation also helps keep outdated caviar from reaching the marketplace. According to the sturgeon products industry, the normal shelf life for caviar is 12 months. As of December 6, 1999, the shelf life of any caviar imported before April 1,1998, would have expired. Now American caviar lovers can be confident that when they buy caviar from reputable outlets, they will be getting a fresher product. Moreover, by purchasing legally acquired caviar, consumers are supporting sturgeon conservation at home and abroad.
The December 6 prohibition does not affect aquaculture-produced caviar or caviar harvested from the wild after April 1, 1998, which will continue to be allowed with a valid CITES permit or a valid CITES re-export certificate from the country of re-export.
Commercial trade in two endangered sturgeon species -shortnose and Baltic- has been banned under CITES since 1975.
For a copy of the December 6, 1999 Federal Register notice, go to http://.international.fws.gov.
The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service is the principal Federal agency responsible for conserving, protecting, and enhancing fish, wildlife and plants and their habitats for the continuing benefit of the American people. The Service manages the 93-million-acre National Wildlife Refuge System comprised of more than 500 national wildlife refuges, thousands of small wetlands, and other special management areas. It also operates 66 national fish hatcheries, 64 fish and wildlife management assistance offices and 78 ecological services field stations. The agency enforces Federal wildlife laws, administers the Endangered Species Act, manages migratory bird populations, restores nationally significant fisheries, conserves and restores wildlife habitat such as wetlands, and helps foreign governments with their conservation efforts. It also oversees the Federal Aid program that distributes hundreds of millions of dollars in excise taxes on fishing and hunting equipment to state fish and wildlife agencies.
