Biodiversity
WCS Canada Comment: CITES CoP20 - Proposal 35
Fuller, S., Ray, J. & Schleit, K.
WCS Canada and Oceans North have written to the Government of Canada urging support for Proposal 35 at CITES CoP20, which seeks to list all anguillid eels (Anguilla spp.) in Appendix II.
Key points
- International trade in eels is growing rapidly, with evidence of large discrepancies between Canada’s legal harvest and reported exports, indicating significant illegal activity.
- European eels are already listed under CITES Appendix II, but enforcement is undermined because other Anguilla species are not listed and can be easily substituted or misdeclared in trade.
- Because juvenile and adult eels of different species are virtually indistinguishable without DNA testing, listing the entire genus under CITES is the only effective way to regulate trade and close laundering loopholes.
- The “look-alike” provision in Article II(2)(b) and Annex 2b has long been applied to other species groups, providing a strong precedent for this approach.
- Supporting Proposal 35 would demonstrate Canada’s commitment to sustainable, legal wildlife trade and uphold its obligations under Canada’s 2030 Nature Strategy, the Carney Platform, and the Hamilton Declaration on the Sargasso Sea.
Recommended citation
Fuller, S., Ray, J. & Schleit, K. (2025). WCS Canada Comment: CITES CoP20 - Proposal 35. Wildlife Conservation Society Canada [WCS Canada]. https://wcscanada.org/resources/wcs-canada-comment-cites-cop20-proposal-35/
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Metadata
- Title
- WCS Canada Comment: CITES CoP20 - Proposal 35
- URL
- https://wcscanada.org/resources/wcs-canada-comment-cites-cop20-proposal-35/
- Published
- 2025-10-07
- Author(s)
- Fuller, S., Ray, J. & Schleit, K.
- Publisher
- Wildlife Conservation Society Canada [WCS Canada]
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