IT DOESNT SEEM LIKE THEY CARE....., BECAUSE SIMPLY PUT, -THEY LEGALLY EXPORT DEAD RAYS FOR FOOD- I DONT THINK THAT THEY ARE EVEN THINKING ABOUT SOMETHING LIKE THIS..., ALTHOUGH THEY SHOULD.........
Brazil IBAMA Stingray Export Ban.. Update?
- Thread starter nickdog98
- Start date
According to the following link dated July 2006, it sounds as though it is still legal to buy or sell P.Leopoldi, Henlei, etc., outside Brazil.
http://64.233.183.104/search?q=cach...+cites+and+stingrays&hl=da&ct=clnk&cd=2&gl=dk
To quote from the document:
c) Freshwater Stingrays (Family Potamotrygonidae)(See document CoP13 Doc. 35, Annex 2, paragraph 10) The Animals Committee recommended that:a) Range States for these species (family Potamotrygonidae) jointly examine cross-bordertrade that may be facilitating illegal trade and consider Appendix III listings, where appropriate, to control illegal exports; and that b) the document be revised, with the addition of more species abundance, distribution andtrend data, and submitted to CoP13 or AC21.The Working Group noted that Brazilian exports included a legal trade of 17,000 specimens perannum and illegal trade of an estimated 25,000 to 30,000, including transboundary exports
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Page 3
AC22 Doc. 17.4 p. 3 (smuggling). The overall quantity of South American species sold worldwide is estimated at 50,000 to 60,000 (Charvet-Almeida, pers. comm., 2006). Additionally, four of the five species of Southeast Asian freshwater stingrays are listed as threatened on the 2006 IUCN-World Conservation Union Red List of Threatened Species while the fifth is Data Deficient. The species entering the aquarium trade: white-edge freshwater whipray, Himantura signifer, and possiblythe longnose marbled whipray, Himantura oxyrhyncha, are both Endangered (IUCN Red List,2004). Ornamental freshwater stingrays are exported to States in North America, Europe and East Asia. Recommendations: i)Encourage the voluntary submission of import and export data by the ornamental fishindustry, possibly using a similar protocol to that used for the collection of data in the Global Marine Aquarium Database.ii) Ensure that the ornamental fish trade industry is made aware of the annual export quota for each species from range States. iii) Note and learn lessons from the development of the Marine Aquarium Council and, if appropriate, develop a mechanism to address the issues of freshwater ray conservation. iv) A CITES Appendix-II listing or other effective export and import control of quotas perspecies is recommended for consideration by the Animals Committee and Parties within reasonable time, considering the existence of endemic and transboundary populations and that their restriction to freshwater environments makes these stingrays more vulnerable to environmental impacts than marine species. v) The European Union might consider whether it could be beneficial to list these species onAnnex D of the Council Regulation on the protection of species of wild fauna and flora by regulating trade therein (import notifications are required for Annex D-listed species).
So, as of one year ago, there were no specific CITES controls on the sale or trade of P.Leopoldi, Henlei, etc. outside Brazil.
Is anyone aware of any further statements from CITES concerning Brazilain rays since July 2006?
http://64.233.183.104/search?q=cach...+cites+and+stingrays&hl=da&ct=clnk&cd=2&gl=dk
To quote from the document:
c) Freshwater Stingrays (Family Potamotrygonidae)(See document CoP13 Doc. 35, Annex 2, paragraph 10) The Animals Committee recommended that:a) Range States for these species (family Potamotrygonidae) jointly examine cross-bordertrade that may be facilitating illegal trade and consider Appendix III listings, where appropriate, to control illegal exports; and that b) the document be revised, with the addition of more species abundance, distribution andtrend data, and submitted to CoP13 or AC21.The Working Group noted that Brazilian exports included a legal trade of 17,000 specimens perannum and illegal trade of an estimated 25,000 to 30,000, including transboundary exports
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Page 3
AC22 Doc. 17.4 p. 3 (smuggling). The overall quantity of South American species sold worldwide is estimated at 50,000 to 60,000 (Charvet-Almeida, pers. comm., 2006). Additionally, four of the five species of Southeast Asian freshwater stingrays are listed as threatened on the 2006 IUCN-World Conservation Union Red List of Threatened Species while the fifth is Data Deficient. The species entering the aquarium trade: white-edge freshwater whipray, Himantura signifer, and possiblythe longnose marbled whipray, Himantura oxyrhyncha, are both Endangered (IUCN Red List,2004). Ornamental freshwater stingrays are exported to States in North America, Europe and East Asia. Recommendations: i)Encourage the voluntary submission of import and export data by the ornamental fishindustry, possibly using a similar protocol to that used for the collection of data in the Global Marine Aquarium Database.ii) Ensure that the ornamental fish trade industry is made aware of the annual export quota for each species from range States. iii) Note and learn lessons from the development of the Marine Aquarium Council and, if appropriate, develop a mechanism to address the issues of freshwater ray conservation. iv) A CITES Appendix-II listing or other effective export and import control of quotas perspecies is recommended for consideration by the Animals Committee and Parties within reasonable time, considering the existence of endemic and transboundary populations and that their restriction to freshwater environments makes these stingrays more vulnerable to environmental impacts than marine species. v) The European Union might consider whether it could be beneficial to list these species onAnnex D of the Council Regulation on the protection of species of wild fauna and flora by regulating trade therein (import notifications are required for Annex D-listed species).
So, as of one year ago, there were no specific CITES controls on the sale or trade of P.Leopoldi, Henlei, etc. outside Brazil.
Is anyone aware of any further statements from CITES concerning Brazilain rays since July 2006?
Okay - I emailed the authors of the report the following email:
Hello - I am a serious aquarist from Vancouver, Canada who would like to obtain 6 P.Leopoldi or P.Henlei for breeding purposes.
Can you tell me if it is possible to obtain such fish for export from Brazil?
Can you tell me who I should contact for further information?
Below are the two replies I received:
Hi xxxx,
At this moment the Brazilian government is not permitting the export of freshwater stingrays. Unfortunately, the last regulation that established a quota system per species has expired and not been renewed so far. So legally P. leopoldi and P. henlei are not leaving the country since December 2005.
Scientists that were involved in the species monitoring that took place during the last regulation (including myself here), hope that soon the Brazilian government will edit a new regulation but this depends a lot on politics and not on scientific data. As a conservation oriented researcher, I strongly disencourage anyone to buy specimens obtained through illegal methods or from illegal trade (mortality is very high and due to mishandling while smuggling the stingrays the specimens tend to arrive in very poor conditions).
My PhD focused mainly on P. leopoldi and the reproduction of this species in captivity is not easy at all. This species is similar to P. motoro and P. henlei in some ways but much pickier in terms of reproducing in captivity. Its certainly a challenge.
Regards,
Patricia.
Dear Mr. xxxx
The export of any species of Brazilian freshwater stingrays is proibited at the moment by de federal regulation number IN 118/2006.
Please be careful with specimens in the market, because all the specimens from Brazil are rigth now being ilegally exported. We are expecting new regulations to be edited in the near future (from 2003 until 2005 6 species of potamotrygonids were authorized to be exported under a quota system).
Best regards
Mauricio Almeida
This pretty much settles the matter I think.
Hello - I am a serious aquarist from Vancouver, Canada who would like to obtain 6 P.Leopoldi or P.Henlei for breeding purposes.
Can you tell me if it is possible to obtain such fish for export from Brazil?
Can you tell me who I should contact for further information?
Below are the two replies I received:
Hi xxxx,
At this moment the Brazilian government is not permitting the export of freshwater stingrays. Unfortunately, the last regulation that established a quota system per species has expired and not been renewed so far. So legally P. leopoldi and P. henlei are not leaving the country since December 2005.
Scientists that were involved in the species monitoring that took place during the last regulation (including myself here), hope that soon the Brazilian government will edit a new regulation but this depends a lot on politics and not on scientific data. As a conservation oriented researcher, I strongly disencourage anyone to buy specimens obtained through illegal methods or from illegal trade (mortality is very high and due to mishandling while smuggling the stingrays the specimens tend to arrive in very poor conditions).
My PhD focused mainly on P. leopoldi and the reproduction of this species in captivity is not easy at all. This species is similar to P. motoro and P. henlei in some ways but much pickier in terms of reproducing in captivity. Its certainly a challenge.
Regards,
Patricia.
Dear Mr. xxxx
The export of any species of Brazilian freshwater stingrays is proibited at the moment by de federal regulation number IN 118/2006.
Please be careful with specimens in the market, because all the specimens from Brazil are rigth now being ilegally exported. We are expecting new regulations to be edited in the near future (from 2003 until 2005 6 species of potamotrygonids were authorized to be exported under a quota system).
Best regards
Mauricio Almeida
This pretty much settles the matter I think.
good work.....
your right this does settle a lot of things.
1.) it does seem like they will most likely be allowing export of Brazilian rays in the NEAR future.
2.) that this is very much a POLITICAL issue and not a conservation issue.
3.) and it DOESN'T seem like any rays can be exported at this time from brazil for ANY reasons, not even breeding....
I hope this ban gets turned around soon so that we can put an end to these ridiculous prices..... its only a matter of time...
your right this does settle a lot of things.
1.) it does seem like they will most likely be allowing export of Brazilian rays in the NEAR future.
2.) that this is very much a POLITICAL issue and not a conservation issue.
3.) and it DOESN'T seem like any rays can be exported at this time from brazil for ANY reasons, not even breeding....
I hope this ban gets turned around soon so that we can put an end to these ridiculous prices..... its only a matter of time...
I am going to continue my email discussions with various people and write up an article for www.aquarticles.com
I think there is a need out there for people all over the world to know exactly what the status of these rays is. Questions I have include the extent of the ray trade INSIDE Brazil. Also, I wonder what the status of the Brazilian gold mining industry is now in the parts of the Amazon basin where these rays are found?
On a related note, David Webber was kind enough to allow me to reprint his introduction on keeping rays, along with his photos. The finished article is at:
http://www.aquarticles.com/articles/breeding/Webber_David_Freshwater_Stingrays.html
I think there is a need out there for people all over the world to know exactly what the status of these rays is. Questions I have include the extent of the ray trade INSIDE Brazil. Also, I wonder what the status of the Brazilian gold mining industry is now in the parts of the Amazon basin where these rays are found?
On a related note, David Webber was kind enough to allow me to reprint his introduction on keeping rays, along with his photos. The finished article is at:
http://www.aquarticles.com/articles/breeding/Webber_David_Freshwater_Stingrays.html
I don't think the gene pool of the rays will be damaged anytime soon... there is too many of them.. also if they are released forr export I'm gonna say there prices are probally gonna be close to what they are now... as far as dead ones being exported or the people down there eating them that's been going on forever and will never end for now I think the rays are best left alone 
just my .02
just my .02Nic;1140879; said:I don't think the gene pool of the rays will be damaged anytime soon... there is too many of them.. also if they are released forr export I'm gonna say there prices are probally gonna be close to what they are now... as far as dead ones being exported or the people down there eating them that's been going on forever and will never end for now I think the rays are best left alone
Why should these rays be any different than all of the other rays being exported from SA. They come from large sections/tributaries of the Amazon river...., in the largest country in SA. These sections of river are larger than some sections of rivers in Peru, where tons of rays are still being exported from. The ban wasn't put in place because they are endangered or rare...., it simply was a political decision, as stated earlier by more than just one person. There is even a email from a credible source to back this. which is the only credible piece of information that has been posted in this thread.
Obviously there are only a small amount of black rays on the market right now. (fence the prices) If the ban is lifted then the amount of rays that are on the market would rise rather significantly (compared to present) Then why would the prices stay the same. they will atleast be cut in half...., i dont see how they couldnt. I understand that if they lift the ban they will only allow the export of a smaller amount of these rays compare to the past...., but even still. they wont be 250 like before but maybe like 500-700. just my 2cents......
Its only a mater of time
But like I said earlier..., a lot depends on weather the US will allow this. Does anyone know anything about this mater???
