Summary
The Species+ database, run for the CITES Secretariat by UNEP-WCMC, records the vaquita (Phocoena sinus) in Appendix I of CITES, effective 28 June 1979, with no annotation or exception. Appendix I is the Convention's highest level of trade control, reserved for species threatened with extinction that are or may be affected by trade.
Why it matters
The listing means international trade in vaquitas, alive or dead, needs both an export and an import permit, and the importing country must be satisfied the trade is not mainly commercial.
Key findings
- Species+ lists Phocoena sinus in CITES Appendix I, effective 28/06/1979, marked current and as an addition, with no notes.
- Convention Art. II(1): Appendix I 'shall include all species threatened with extinction which are or may be affected by trade'.
- Convention Art. III: Appendix I specimens need an export permit and an import permit, and the importing state must be satisfied the specimen is not to be used for primarily commercial purposes.
Caveats
The Species+ record gives the date a listing took effect but not the reasoning or the meeting that adopted it. It does not describe any actual trade in vaquita, and it says nothing about enforcement.