Santiago, 14 November 2002: The Patagonian Toothfish will continue to be managed under the auspices of the Commission for the Conservation of Antarctic Marine Living Resources (CCAMLR) following the withdrawal at CITES COP12 of Australia's proposal to place it in Appendix II.

Nineteen of CCAMLR's twenty-three members had urged Australia to withdraw its proposal. Among their reasons was the lack of evidence that the species as a whole is endangered, the fact that it is already being managed effectively by CCAMLR's Catch Documentation Scheme (CDS) and the inappropriateness of it being managed by CITES in the future.

Professor Doug Butterworth, Fisheries Advisor with IWMC World Conservation Trust, said: "This proposal was ill-conceived and should never have even been discussed. The strong opposition by the Parties emphasizes the difficulties CITES would have managing fisheries, in which the role of regional management organizations such as CCAMLR must remain paramount."

IWMC (International Wildlife Management Consortium) World Conservation Trust is attending CITES COP12 as an official observer organization and is actively participating in many of the discussions. It has several leading academics and conservation experts from different continents among its delegation.

For more information and interviews, contact Eugene Lapointe
Email: iwmc@iwmc.org