Fish and Wildlife to allow controlled beluga sturgeon imports

Fish and Wildlife to allow controlled beluga sturgeon imports    The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service has issued a special interim rule to allow imports of beluga sturgeon products under highly controlled conditions.
   The agency said trade of beluga sturgeon may continue to the United States as long as it meets the requirements of the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species (CITES).
   CITES is a global agreement that monitors trade in endangered or threatened wildlife through a systems of permits. Beluga is listed in Appendix II of CITES, a designation which allows legal commercial trade in a listed species if it’s accompanied by valid CITES documentation. The exporting country must ensure that the beluga sturgeon was legally acquired and that shipments do not exceed export quotas.
   Fish and Wildlife said its special interim rule, effective Oct. 21, is intended to notify the public of the procedures the agency will use after recently listing beluga sturgeon under the U.S. Endangered Species Act. The rule is expected to become final by the end of January 2005, the agency said.