Early morning: As soon as Committee II addresses the remaining items on its agenda, the Plenary session will open. In Plenary, decisions on all the proposals are ratified, but if 1/3rd of the Parties request, a proposal can be reopened. In 2010, the porbeagle shark was listed on Appendix II, but the proposal was reopened in Plenary and the listing was lost by a single vote.

The European Union is lobbying hard with other Parties to target ‘no votes’ and ensure any proposals reopened at Plenary do not result in losses of listings. It is rumored in the halls that Japan and China will try to overturn the shark proposals.

The EU, Shark Research Institute, Sea Save, Ocean Geogragraphic Society, Pretoma and the Species Survival Network are also lobbying to maintain the decision on Introduction from the Sea that was agreed on in Committee II to avoid it being brought back to Plenary for discussion.

Plenary opened at 11: 20 a.m. Before the lunch break, Agenda Items 11, 12, 14, 17, 18, 20, 21, 22 and 23 were adopted. When Plenary reopened the remainder of the Agenda Items, including Introduction from the Sea, and those pertaining to sharks and stingrays, humphead wrasse, sea cucumbers, and the queen conch were adopted, and the Chair moved to the proposals. Recommendations on proposals 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9 were adopted. Proposals 10, 11, 12 were withdrawn. Recommendations on proposals 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24, 25, 26, 27, 28, 29, 30, 31, 32 33, 34, 35, 36, 37, 38, 39, 40 and 41 were adopted.

The shark proposals will be the first proposals to be heard in Plenary tomorrow morning.

In the evening, Michael Aw, Georgienne Bradley, Jay Ireland and I went to an Indian restaurant for dinner. A number of delegates from West Africa and Japan were gathered in an adjoining private room . . . Wonder what they were discussing? Although the delegate from Nigeria was cordial, the man with the briefcase appeared to be in a great hurry to leave when we took out our cameras. To see a video, go to: http://youtu.be/gr84-bht_JM

CITES CoP16: March 13, 2013