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SC/69B/SM/04
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Resource ID
22165
Access
Open
Document Number
SC/69B/SM/04
Full Title
Trade demand for croaker fish maws threatens small cetaceans and other marine megafauna
Author
Brian Smith, Randall Reeves, Lorenzo Rojas-Bracho
Authors Summary
Concern about the increasing trade demand for croaker swim bladders (or maws) led to the adoption of a motion at
the 2021 IUCN World Conservation Congress for Controlling and monitoring trade in croaker swim bladders to
protect target croakers and reduce incidental catches of threatened marine megafauna. New information from
Bangladesh and Papua New Guinea has revealed that demand for croaker maws is having a major negative impact
on small cetaceans and other marine megafauna due to fishery bycatch, primarily in gillnets targeting croakers with
high-value maws. An analysis of six threatened croaker species with high-value maws revealed that, taken together,
their ranges overlap with eight threatened small cetaceans. The vaquita (Phocoena sinus) faces imminent extinction
due to bycatch in illegal fisheries targeting the CITES Appendix I-listed totoaba (Totoaba macdonaldi). Dried
totoaba maws have been reported as sold illegally in China for more than 100,000 USD/kg. This implies that control
of other croaker species should come quickly, before more marine megafauna undergo irreversible population
declines. A qualitative evaluation indicated that dusky meagres (Argyrosomus japonicus), acoupa weakfish
(Cynoscion acoupa), and blackspotted croakers (Protonibea diacanthus) had a moderate potential, and large yellow
croakers (Larimichthys crocea) and Gulf corvinas (Cynoscion othonopterus) had a low potential, for successful
listing in CITES Appendix II. The Chinese bahaba (Bahaba taipingensis) had no potential for successful listing in
Appendix II. A case study of the blackspotted croaker indicated that it qualifies for CITES Appendix II because
regulation is needed to prevent it from becoming eligible for inclusion in Appendix I, and to ensure that the harvest
of wild specimens does not threaten survival of the species. The fish maw trade is affec
Publisher
IWC
Publication Year
2024
Abstract
Concern about the increasing trade demand for croaker swim bladders (or maws) led to the adoption of a motion at the 2021 IUCN World Conservation Congress for Controlling and monitoring trade in croaker swim bladders to protect target croakers and reduce incidental catches of threatened marine megafauna. New information from Bangladesh and Papua New Guinea has revealed that demand for croaker maws is having a major negative impact on small cetaceans and other marine megafauna due to fishery bycatch, primarily in gillnets targeting croakers with high-value maws. An analysis of six threatened croaker species with high-value maws revealed that, taken together, their ranges overlap with eight threatened small cetaceans and numerous threatened shark, ray and marine turtle species. The vaquita (Phocoena sinus) faces imminent extinction due to bycatch in illegal fisheries targeting the CITES Appendix I-listed totoaba (Totoaba macdonaldi). Dried totoaba maws have been reported as sold illegally at public auctions in China for more than 100,000 USD/kg. This implies that control of trade in other croaker species should come quickly, before more marine megafauna undergo irreversible population declines. A qualitative evaluation indicated that dusky meagres (Argyrosomus japonicus), acoupa weakfish (Cynoscion acoupa), and blackspotted croakers (Protonibea diacanthus) had a moderate potential, and large yellow croakers (Larimichthys crocea) and Gulf corvinas (Cynoscion othonopterus) had a low potential, for successful listing in CITES Appendix II. The Chinese bahaba (Bahaba taipingensis) had no potential for successful listing in Appendix II because it is endemic to China and its trade is domestic. A case study of the blackspotted croaker indicated that it qualifies for CITES Appendix II because trade regulation is needed to prevent it from becoming eligible for inclusion in Appendix I, and to ensure that the harvest of specimens from the wild does not threaten survival of the species.