Highlights for Thursday, 11 February 2010

On Thursday, delegates continued to consider the draft MoU. On scope, definitions and interpretation, delegates considered definitions for shark finning, regional fishery management organizations, favourable conservation status, Signatories and Cooperating Partners. Delegates discussed amendments to simplify the section on implementation, reporting and financing. On the meeting of the Signatories, delegates agreed on text stating that the first meeting of the Signatories should take place as soon as possible after the MoU comes into effect. On the establishment of an Advisory Committee, delegates considered its composition and modalities for its operations. Delegates also discussed cooperation with other bodies and final provisions.

During lunch, a working group met to consider which species to initially include in Annex I of the MoU and how species may be added in the future. Some delegates initially preferred limiting the species to Basking, Great White and Whale Sharks. Others favored including all seven species currently under the appendices of the CMS. A number of delegates proposed a criteria for priority species in the MoU, based on either the initial three species proposed at Sharks I, or on species in Appendix I of the CMS. On the future inclusion of species, delegates agreed that the addition of shark species to the appendices of the CMS should not result in an automatic listing of the species under the MoU.

Delegates continued to negotiate late into the evening on definitions and institutional arrangements. Delegates also agreed to include all seven species in the CMS appendices under this MoU (the Great White, Basking, Whale, Porbeagle, Spiny Dogfish, Shortfin and Longfin Mako Sharks).

Trondheim Conference on Biodiversity resources
Provisional Agenda of SHARKS III
Meeting Documents
Meeting Documents from SHARKS II

IISD RS resources
IISD RS coverage of SHARKS II, 6-8 December 2008, UN Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) Headquarters, Rome, Italy
IISD RS coverage of the Ninth Meeting of the Conference of the Parties (COP 9) to the CMS, 1-5 December 2008, FAO Headquarters, Rome, Italy
IISD RS coverage of the Fourth Meeting of the Parties (MOP-4) to the African-Eurasian Waterbird Agreement (AEWA), 15-19 September 2008, Antananarivo, Madagascar
IISD RS coverage of the First Meeting to Identify and Elaborate an Option for International Cooperation on Migratory Sharks, 11-13 December 2007, Mahé, Seychelles
IISD RS coverage of CMS COP 8, 20-25 November 2005, Nairobi, Kenya
IISD RS coverage of CMS COP 7 and AEWA MOP-2, 25-27 September 2002, Bonn, Germany
IISD RS coverage of CMS COP 6, 4-16 November 1999, Cape Town, South Africa
IISD RS archive of meetings on biodiversity, and backgrounder
Linkages Update - Bi-weekly international environment and sustainable development news
MEA Bulletin - Newsletter on key MEAs and their secretariats
Climate Change Policy & Practice - News and information on the actions of international organizations in responding to the problem of global climate change
African Regional Coverage