03 Jul
2006 - Brussels, Belgium – Key measures to improve
law enforcement and controls were made at a recent
international meeting aimed at cracking down on
the thriving illegal caviar trade.
Delegates attending a European
Commission sturgeon workshop agreed to improve
the exchange of intelligence and coordination
on the caviar trade, including the need to implement
a universal caviar labelling system, as well as
to improve the registration and licensing of all
caviar processing, re-packaging and trading businesses
in order to ensure that only legal caviar is filtering
through to markets.
They also agreed to closely
monitor smuggling routes and to make more widespread
use of DNA tests that can help to identify the
origin and source of the caviar and thereby detect
fraud and miss-declaration.
“The illegal caviar trade often
involves highly organized smuggling networks that
use sophisticated methods to circumvent existing
regulations and deceive law enforcers,” said Stephanie
Theile, Acting Director of TRAFFIC Europe.
“Organized wildlife crime needs
an organized and sophisticated response and this
is why improved coordination among law enforcers
at an international level is so important to crack
down on the illegal caviar trade.”
Since 1997, all species of sturgeon
have been listed in the Appendices of CITES (the
Convention on International Trade in Endangered
Species of Wild Fauna and Flora) to regulate the
trade in caviar and ensure that it is sustainable.
Since then, a number of conservation measures
have been put in place in producing and importing
countries to regulate the legal caviar trade and
improve enforcement measures to combat illegal
trade in caviar. Despite these efforts, illegal
trade in sturgeon products and especially in caviar
is of growing concern. Many sturgeon stocks are
seriously depleted as a result of illegal fishing
and trade.
“The illegal caviar trade is
not only having a detrimental impact on wild sturgeon
populations but is also undermining the legal
trade in caviar and the various efforts undertaken
by CITES to ensure that this trade is sustainable
and in accordance with CITES requirements,” said
Hugo-Maria Schally of the European Commission’s
Environment Directorate-General, a Chair of the
meeting.
The trade in caviar is a large
business with high profits to be made along the
trade chain. Retail prices of legally-sourced
caviar have skyrocketed over the last years as
legal supply of high-quality caviar has decreased.
The total annual retail value of the wild caviar
reported in international trade is estimated to
be around €300–450 million. However, considering
the large amounts of caviar that are traded illegally
and sold on black markets the total value is likely
to be considerably higher.
On 9 July 2006, a new regulation
will enter into force in the European Union that
requires all caviar containers in trade — regardless
of their size or origin — to bear a label containing
a specific set of information regarding the product.
In addition, all caviar producers and processing
operation in the EU have to be registered. These
measures implement requirements agreed by CITES
in 2002 and will greatly facilitate the identification
of the source and legality of the caviar and thereby
assist in combating illegal activities.
“It is high time that governments
in Europe, as well as North America and Asia take
this seriously and step up efforts to fight smuggling
of caviar that threatens the survival of sturgeon
populations,” Theile said.
END NOTES:
• Illegal trade in caviar continues
to thrive across Europe, North America and parts
of Asia and is pushing many sturgeon species towards
extinction. According to data reported by countries
in Western Europe, almost 12,000kg of illegal
caviar were seized between 2000 and 2005. Germany
topped the list (2,224kg), followed by Switzerland
(2,067kg), the Netherlands (1,920kg), Poland (1,841kg)
and the UK (1,587kg).
• Sturgeon range States such
as Azerbaijan, Bulgaria, Iran, Kazakhstan, Romania
and the Russian Federation, all major caviar importers
including the 25 EU Member States, Switzerland,
the US, and other important trading countries,
the CITES Secretariat, the World Customs Organisation,
Interpol, Europol, the European Anti-Fraud Office,
the European Commission, UNEP-WCMC, IUCN and TRAFFIC
were among the participants of the three-day caviar
trade workshop. In addition, representatives of
caviar traders and other NGOs were invited to
attend for an open session during the meeting
to contribute their views and experiences.
• TRAFFIC, the wildlife trade
monitoring network, is a joint programme of WWF
and IUCN-the World Conservation Union.
Stephanie Theile / Maija Sirola
