global trade in crocodilian meat - UNEP-WCMC
GLOBAL TRADE IN CROCODILIAN MEAT
Prepared for the Louisiana Alligator Council
by John Caldwell
United Nations Environment Programme World Conservation Monitoring Centre
July 2010
UNEP World Conservation Monitoring Centre
219 Huntingdon Road Cambridge CB3 0DL United Kingdom Tel: +44 (0) 1223 277314 Fax: +44 (0) 1223 277136 Email: [email protected] Website: www.unep-wcmc.org
ABOUT UNEP-WORLD CONSERVATION MONITORING CENTRE The UNEP World Conservation Monitoring Centre (UNEP-WCMC), based in Cambridge, UK, is the specialist biodiversity information and assessment centre of the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP), run cooperatively with WCMC 2000, a UK charity. The Centre's mission is to evaluate and highlight the many values of biodiversity and put authoritative biodiversity knowledge at the centre of decision-making. Through the analysis and synthesis of global biodiversity knowledge the Centre provides authoritative, strategic and timely information for conventions, countries and organisations to use in the development and implementation of their policies and decisions. The UNEP-WCMC provides objective and scientifically rigorous procedures and services. These include ecosystem assessments, support for the implementation of environmental agreements, global and regional biodiversity information, research on threats and impacts, and the development of future scenarios.
CITATION John Caldwell (2010). Global trade in crocodilian meat. UNEP-WCMC, Cambridge.
DISCLAIMER The contents of this report do not necessarily reflect the views or policies of UNEP or contributory organisations. The designations employed and the presentations do not imply the expressions of any opinion whatsoever on the part of UNEP, the Louisiana Alligator Advisory Council or contributory organisations concerning the legal status of any country, territory, city or area or its authority, or concerning the delimitation of its frontiers or boundaries. © Copyright: 2010, UNEP World Conservation Monitoring Centre/Louisiana Alligator Advisory Council.
Contents INTRODUCTION......................................................................................................................................... 1 DATA INCLUDED ....................................................................................................................................... 1 LIMITATIONS OF THE DATA ................................................................................................................. 1 OVERVIEW.................................................................................................................................................... 3 PRODUCERS ................................................................................................................................................. 8 AFRICA (CITES REGION 1) ......................................................................................................................... 8 South Africa ............................................................................................................................................ 8 Zambia ..................................................................................................................................................... 9 Zimbabwe ............................................................................................................................................. 10 ASIA (CITES REGION 2) ............................................................................................................................ 10 Indonesia ............................................................................................................................................... 10 Israel ....................................................................................................................................................... 11 Malaysia ................................................................................................................................................ 11 Singapore............................................................................................................................................... 11 Thailand................................................................................................................................................. 11 Viet Nam ............................................................................................................................................... 12 CENTRAL AND SOUTH AMERICA AND THE CARIBBEAN (CITES REGION 3) ........................................... 13 Argentina .............................................................................................................................................. 13 Bolivia .................................................................................................................................................... 13 Colombia ............................................................................................................................................... 13 Venezuela .............................................................................................................................................. 13 NORTH AMERICA (CITES REGION 5) ....................................................................................................... 13 Mexico.................................................................................................................................................... 13 United States ......................................................................................................................................... 14 OCEANIA (CITES REGION 6) .................................................................................................................... 14 Australia ................................................................................................................................................ 14 Papua New Guinea .............................................................................................................................. 15 CONSUMERS.............................................................................................................................................. 16 Africa (CITES Region 1) ...................................................................................................................... 16 Asia (CITES Region 2) ......................................................................................................................... 16 Central and South America and the Caribbean (CITES Region 3) ................................................ 17 Europe (CITES Region 4) .................................................................................................................... 17 North America (CITES Region 5)....................................................................................................... 17 Oceania (CITES Region 6) ................................................................................................................... 18 DISCUSSION .............................................................................................................................................. 18 ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS ........................................................................................................................ 19
List of Figures Figure 1. Global exports of crocodilian meat, 1986-2008. ......................................................................... 3 Figure 2. Exports of Alligator mississippiensis meat by the United States, 1986-2008. ............................... 4 Figure 3. African exports of Crocodylus niloticus meat, 1986-2008. ............................................................. 4 Figure 4. World exports of C. novaeguineae and C. porosus meat, 1986-2008. ............................................ 5 Figure 5. World exports of Crocodylus siamensis meat, 1997-2008. ............................................................. 6 Figure 6. World exports of caiman meat, 1986-2008.................................................................................... 7 Figure 7. World exports of meat from the three main species of crocodilian in trade, 1986-2008. ......... 7 Figure 8. South Africa’s direct exports of C. niloticus meat, 1996-2008. ..................................................... 9 Figure 9. Exports of C. niloticus meat from Zambia, 1994-2008. ................................................................. 9 Figure 10. Exports of C. niloticus meat by Zimbabwe, 1994-2008............................................................. 10 Figure 11. Exports of C. siamensis meat by Thailand, 1996-2008. ........................................................... 12 Figure 12. A breakdown of Thailand’s exports of C. siamenses meat, 2003-2008. ................................... 12 Figure 13. Exports of C. porosus meat by Australia, 1992-2008. ............................................................. 14 Figure 14. Exports of crocodile meat from Papua New Guinea, 1986-2008. ........................................ 15 Figure 15. Imports by the three main importers of crocodilian meat in Asia, 1993-2008.................. 16 Figure 16. Imports by European countries of C. niloticus meat, 1994-2008. ........................................ 17
Introduction This report on the global trade in the meat of crocodilians is the third produced by UNEPWCMC for the Louisiana Alligator Advisory Council. The trade data used in this report have been obtained from the CITES Trade Database, a resource containing all the information provided by the countries that are party to the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES) in their annual reports. This database is managed and maintained by UNEP-WCMC on behalf of the CITES Secretariat. Some additional information has been kindly provided by the Crocodile Farmers Association of Zimbabwe (CFAZ). The report also attempts to identify problem areas and to recommend, where possible, workable solutions. All species within the family Crocodylia are listed in either Appendix I or II of CITES. Of those species specifically mentioned in this report, the following are listed in Appendix I: Crocodylus moreletii, C. niloticus, C. porosus, C. siamensis and Caiman latirostris, although some of these species have populations listed in Appendix II.
Data Included This report is based on an analysis of the annual reports submitted by the Parties to CITES for all years up to 2008, and if applicable, 2009. A list of annual reports that have been submitted is available at www.cites.org/common/resources/annual_reports.pdf. Wherever possible, data reported by the producer countries have been used in preference to that reported by importing countries because the time lag between export and import, may lead to double-counting and thus an overestimation of trade volume. However, where exporting countries have failed to submit annual report data on exports of crocodilian meat, importers’ data have been used. This report on crocodile meat trade is divided into two sections – producer and consumer countries, with trade data presented by CITES Region. The figures and tables contain trade information from all sources, including captive-bred, ranched and wild specimens, unless otherwise specified.
Limitations of the data Incomplete data due to late submission or failure to submit CITES annual reports remains an impediment to conducting trade analyses using CITES trade data. Analysing annual reports is complicated by the inconsistent basis on which the reports are compiled. According to CITES Notification to the Parties No. 2006/030 of 2 May 2006, Parties may report on the basis of the permits and certificates that have been issued if they are unable to report on the actual number of specimens that entered or left the country. However, reporting on the basis of permits issued may lead to overestimates of trade volume as permits are frequently issued for quantities in excess of those actually traded and indeed, some of the permits may expire 1
without being used. Despite frequent reminders from the CITES Secretariat, the majority of Parties still do not provide any details concerning the basis on which their annual reports are compiled. Most CITES annual reports are compiled on a shipment-by-shipment basis and many include the exporters’ permit numbers. This allows for accurate cross-checking of data, particularly where an export may be reported in one year and the import of the same shipment reported the following year, and enables potential reporting or typographical errors to be traced. All annual reports for the years up to 2008 should have been submitted by 31 October 2009 but, at the time of writing (June 2010), several reports that might contain important data have still not been received by the CITES Secretariat. These include Kenya (2003), Nicaragua (2008) and United Republic of Tanzania (hereafter referred to a Tanzania) 2007. The accuracy of the data provided in CITES annual reports is a further limitation and care has been taken to reduce this source of error to a minimum by close cross matching of import data with the original export permit information. However, the reporting of crocodilian meat suffers from several other problems not encountered in analysis of other commodities. For instance, many of the transactions in annual reports appear to be reported by only the exporting country and not by the importer. This is particularly noticeable in exports from the United States, who claims to report actual trade, to Canada. The reason for the failure by Canada to include the data in their annual report is not known, but it may be that the commodity is treated as food rather than a CITES specimen. Frequently the unit of weight is absent and cross matching of permits from the United States with those of importing countries indicates that the original export quantity was in pounds while the imported quantity was in kilograms. Wherever this has been encountered the data have been amended to show metric weight.
2
Overview World trade in crocodilian meat has generally increased over the period 1986 to 2008 as reported by exporters in CITES annual reports (Figure 1). Between 1990 and 2004, the amount traded globally fluctuated between 300 and 500 tonnes (t) annually. However, exports increased to just below 600 t in 2005 and then increased markedly to nearly 1,000 t in both 2006 and 2007 before decreasing back to approximately 488 t in 2008. Since 1988 there have been major fluctuations in the countries and species involved in the trade of crocodilian meat.
1,200,000 1,000,000
Quantity (kg)
800,000 600,000 400,000 200,000 0
Figure 1. Global exports of crocodilian meat, 1986-2008. Until 1992 the main species in trade was Alligator mississippiensis from the United States, particularly to Taiwan, Province of China, Japan, Canada and the United Kingdom. No exports to Taiwan, Province of China, have been reported since 1994 and overall export levels have fallen since the mid 1990s (Figure 2) with the main importers in recent years being Canada and Hong Kong.
3
600,000
500,000
Quantity (kg)
400,000
300,000
200,000
100,000
0
Figure 2. Exports of Alligator mississippiensis meat by the United States, 1986-2008. Since the early 1990s, exports of Crocodylus niloticus, particularly from South Africa, Zambia and Zimbabwe have increased steadily from less than half a tonne in 1990 to a peak of nearly 500 t in 2007 (Figure 3). Reported exports decreased by about 50% to 244 t in 2008. 600,000
500,000
Quantity (kg)
400,000
300,000
200,000
100,000
0
Figure 3. African exports of Crocodylus niloticus meat, 1986-2008.
4
The main destinations for the African production are Europe (particularly Belgium, Germany, Netherlands, Switzerland and the United Kingdom), Hong Kong and China; however, in 2004 and 2005, some exports went to Japan and in 2008, Viet Nam imported 45 t from South Africa. Zambia’s production used to be exported via South Africa but now appears to be exported directly to the Far East. Fresh water crocodile (C. novaeguineae) and salt water crocodile (C. porosus) data have been combined as one of the major exporters, Papua New Guinea, frequently trades in mixed shipments containing both species. Apart from Papua New Guinea the other exporters are Australia, Indonesia, Malaysia and Thailand. Details of the global volume traded are provided in Figure 4. The spike in 1994 can be attributed primarily to imports from Papua New Guinea reported by Australia. Apart from 4 kg reported as an import by Hong Kong, there is no information available regarding exports of crocodilian meat from Papua New Guinea in 2008. 200,000 180,000 160,000 140,000 Quantity (kg)
120,000 100,000 80,000 60,000 40,000 20,000 0
Figure 4. World exports of C. novaeguineae and C. porosus meat, 1986-2008. The most dramatic change in the meat industry has been with trade in Siamese crocodile (C. siamensis) which saw exports increase substantially between 2004 and 2006 and then decrease again in 2007 and 2008 (Figure 5). This species has been farmed extensively in Thailand for many years, but until 2004 exports had been small, generally fluctuating between 20 t and 55 t annually. However, in 2004 exports increased to over 71 t then doubled to almost 140 t in 2005. In addition, Viet Nam began reporting exports of the species with a shipment of 100 kg that year. In 2006, reported exports from Viet Nam increased to 24 t and Thailand’s reported exports again increased to almost 400 t. The quantity reported as being
5
exported in 2007 fell to 275 t, then further to 165 t in 2008, with both the major producers reporting smaller quantities than previous years. 450,000 400,000 350,000
Quantity (kg)
300,000 250,000 200,000 150,000 100,000 50,000 0
Figure 5. World exports of Crocodylus siamensis meat, 1997-2008. Trade in the meat of caimans has been very variable over the period 1986-2008 (Figure 6). There were exports of Caiman crocodilus crocodilus from the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela (hereafter referred to as Venezuela) between 1989 and 1997 and of Caiman crocodilus fuscus from Colombia between 1994 and 1997. Reported exports of caiman meat ceased until 2003 when Bolivia exported 10 kg of Caiman yacare meat to the United States. This was followed by further, and much larger, exports of C. yacare by Bolivia in 2005 (to United States) and 2006 (to Belgium and Germany). Colombia also started exporting again with small quantities going to Macau S.A.R. and mainland China in 2004 and 2005. In 2006, Colombia reported exporting 9 t to Taiwan, Province of China, and then a further 110 t to the same destination in 2007. In 2006, Argentina began exporting C. latirostris and C. yacare meat. There has been no reported trade in meat of any of the caiman species in 2008.
6
160,000 140,000
Quantity (kg)
120,000 100,000 80,000 60,000 40,000 20,000 0
Figure 6. World exports of caiman meat, 1986-2008. Figure 7 compares global trade in American alligator, Nile crocodile and Siamese crocodile. A. mississippiensis
C. niloticus
C. siamensis
600,000 500,000
No. of skins
400,000 300,000 200,000 100,000 0
Figure 7. World exports of meat from the three main species of crocodilian in trade, 1986-2008.
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Producers Africa (CITES Region 1) There have been considerable exports of Nile crocodile (C. niloticus) meat from the southern African countries of South Africa, Zambia and Zimbabwe since 1993. However, South Africa has, up to 2004, imported crocodile meat from its neighbours and then re-exported it. Since that time it appears that Zambia and Zimbabwe have exported all their produce directly. In the following analysis, data from importing countries have been used in preference to information from Zimbabwe for 1997 onwards as the data in that country’s annual report is very inconsistent. Similarly, South African import data for 1994 to 2004 has been used in preference to Zambia’s data as annual reports for several years have not been provided. In 2008, Kenya reported exporting 400 kg of meat from ranched crocodiles to the Sudan.
South Africa South Africa has been exporting farmed Nile crocodile meat since 1993. Quantities have fluctuated considerably, rising to an apparent peak of over 220 t in 2005. However, South Africa’s annual report is based on the information on the permits it issues. So, if a permit is not ultimately used, that information may not be reported by South Africa until several years later, if at all, and can lead to an overestimation of trade. In addition, the amount of meat for which a permit is issued may not necessarily be the quantity actually exported. Thus, the apparent peak in 2005 may reflect a quantity considerably higher than the quantity actually traded. For example, there were seven permits totalling 66.3 t that were not reported by importing countries and may not have been used. The remaining 20 shipments that were reported by both South Africa and the importing countries amounted to 154 t according to South Africa; however the quantity reported by the importers was only 101 t, only 66% of the quantity reported by the exporter. The peak in 2005 was followed by a trough in 2006, a situation possibly brought about by export permits issued in 2005 being used in 2006. Data from the importing countries do not indicate a peak/trough situation. In 2007, reported exports doubled to almost 120t and increased further to 150 t in 2008.
8
250,000
Quantity (kg)
200,000
150,000
100,000
50,000
0
Figure 8. South Africa’s direct exports of C. niloticus meat, 1996-2008.
Zambia Zambia has been exporting C. niloticus meat since 1994; however, the quantities have fluctuated wildly, with none being reported in 1997, 2000 and 2004 but over 60 t being reported in 1998, 1999 and 2001. Up to 2005, South Africa was the sole importer, but since 2006 all meat appears to have been exported directly to Hong Kong. In 2007, there was a substantial increase in exports to 163 t which was confirmed by Hong Kong’s import data; however in 2008 exports were back down to 58 t. 180,000 160,000 140,000
Quantity (kg)
120,000 100,000 80,000 60,000 40,000 20,000 0
Figure 9. Exports of C. niloticus meat from Zambia, 1994-2008. 9
Zimbabwe Significant exports of Nile crocodile meat from Zimbabwe began in 1994 and rose steadily over the next decade, peaking at just over 300 t in 2004. This was followed by a decrease in 2005 then further increases to reach 280 t in 2007.The reported trade then decreased notably to 64 t in 2008 (Figure 10). 350,000 300,000
Quantity (kg)
250,000 200,000 150,000 100,000 50,000 0
Figure 10. Exports of C. niloticus meat by Zimbabwe, 1994-2008. The destination of the majority of the meat (73%) has been the Far East, either directly or via South Africa whilst most of the remainder is imported by Europe, mainly Belgium, Germany, Netherlands and United Kingdom.
Asia (CITES Region 2) Indonesia Over the period 1994 and 1997 there was a moratorium on exports of crocodilian products from Indonesia. In 1998, Hong Kong reported importing 150 kg of saltwater crocodile meat and in 1999 Indonesia reported exports of 1.2 t of the same species. The year 2000 saw Indonesia’s greatest exports of crocodile meat, with 10.6 t of C. novaeguineae and 5.7 t of C. porosus going to China, Hong Kong and Singapore. Exports in the following three years were approximately 650 kg per annum and no exports of meat were reported in 2004. Since 2005, Indonesia’s reported exports have been limited to C. porosus and have amounted to about 1.5 t per annum until 2007, the meat going to Hong Kong, Malaysia and Taiwan, Province of China. In 2008, reported exports were 800 kg, all reported as being from captivebred animals.
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Israel Exports of farm-produced C.niloticus meat were reported by Israel in 1989 and 1991-1995, with the greatest quantities being 2.3 t in 1992 and 6 t in 1993. Few of the exports were confirmed by the importers. The United Kingdom reported importing 1 t in 1996. No further trade has been reported.
Malaysia Malaysia reported exporting 460 kg of C. porosus meat in 1983 but nothing further until 2005 when an export of 10 kg to Hong Kong was reported. This was followed in 2006 by an export of 330 kg and a further 240 kg in 2007 to the same destination. Malaysia did not report exporting meat in 2008, but Hong Kong reported importing 450 kg on permits issued that year. Malaysia has five CITES-registered captive-breeding operations for this species and the meat is reported to be source ‘D’.
Singapore Singapore reported exporting a total of almost 1.3 t of meat from farmed Crocodylus porosus between 2002 and 2005, all going to Hong Kong, but none since.
Thailand Apart from 150 kg of saltwater crocodile meat exported to China in 1999 and 2.8 t of hybrid C. porosus x C. siamensis meat exported to Taiwan, Republic of China in 2002, all of Thailand’s exports have been of captive-bred C. siamensis. Exports rose rapidly from 2003 and peaked at almost 400 t in 2006. Since that time, exports have diminished and amounted to 159 t in 2008 (Figure 11). Although Thailand reported exporting over 30 t to Germany and the Netherlands in 2001 and 3.6 t to the United Kingdom in 2004, most of the meat was exported to China and Hong Kong with lesser quantities to Japan, Republic of Korea and Taiwan, Province of China.
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450,000 400,000 350,000
Quantity (kg)
300,000 250,000 200,000 150,000 100,000 50,000 0
Figure 11. Exports of C. siamensis meat by Thailand, 1996-2008. Unlike other exporting countries, Thailand has two categories of meat. The first is described simply as ‘meat’ and the second as ‘meat + bone’ but what the product is exactly is unclear. Thus, it is possible that the Thai figures are not directly comparable with meat data reported by other countries. The relevant quantities of each can be seen in Figure 12. meat meat + bone 400,000 350,000 300,000
Quantity (kg)
250,000 200,000 150,000 100,000 50,000 0 2003
2004
2005
2006
2007
2008
Figure 12. A breakdown of Thailand’s exports of C. siamenses meat, 2003-2008.
Viet Nam Trade in meat of captive-bred Siamese crocodile from Viet Nam began in 2005 with a shipment of 100 kg to Switzerland. Reported exports in 2006 were over 24 t, mainly to 12
Belgium (11.8 t) and China (10 t), and lesser amounts to Canada, Germany and the Republic of Korea. However, reported imports by those countries were far less and amounted to only 3.3 t. For 2007, Viet Nam only reported the export of a shipment weighing 2 t going to the Netherlands, however further imports were reported by Belgium and Germany on export permits issued that year. In 2008, Viet Nam reported exporting 5.5 t.
Central and South America and the Caribbean (CITES Region 3) Argentina Argentina has recently developed ranching operations for Caiman latirostris and C. yacare. The country reported exporting 1.2 t of C. latirostris and 50 kg C. yacare meat to the United Kingdom in 2006, and a further 3 t of C. yacare to the United Kingdom in 2007. Argentina has yet to submit an annual report for 2008, and no imports of caiman meat have been reported by importers.
Bolivia Exports of meat of Caiman yacare from Bolivia began in 2003 with a shipment of just 10 kg to the United States. Further exports of 22.5 t and 47.5 t were reported to the United States in 2004 and 2005. Bolivia also reported exporting 21.2 t to Netherlands in 2005, but this was not reported by the importer. Exports in 2006 amounted to 82 t, most confirmed by the importers in 2006 and 2007, but decreased to just over 30 t in 2007. Like Argentina, Bolivia has yet to submit an annual report for 2008; there have been no reported imports of caiman meat by importing countries in 2008.
Colombia Farm-produced meat of Caiman crocodilus fuscus was exported in small quantities (< 8 t/annum) between 1994 and 1997. Very small quantities were reported by Colombia as exports to Macau and mainland China in 2004 and 2005. In 2006, Colombia reported exports of 9.5 t to Taiwan, Province of China, and then a further 110 t to the same destination in 2007. Colombia reported no exports of caiman meat in 2008.
Venezuela Exports of wild-caught caiman meat from the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela were reported each year between 1989 and 1997, except for 1996. The quantities varied from 0.6 t in 1989 to almost 45 t in 1993. The importers were Japan and the United States.
North America (CITES Region 5) Mexico Exports of meat from captive-bred C. moreletii were reported by Mexico in 1996, 1997, 1999 and 2000, and 2002 and 2003. The greatest quantities were of 3.5 t in both 1999 and 2002 and 13
the importer in all instances was Japan. No exports of crocodilian meat have been reported by Mexico since 2003.
United States As shown in Figure 2 and noted in the overview section above, export of alligator meat from the United States peaked between 1989 and 1996, but has subsequently declined and has averaged around 36 t yearly since that time. Europe appears to have been the major destination in 1986, but this may have been an artefact of reporting efficiency. The main destination since 1987 has been the Far East, with Taiwan, Province of China, being the major importer up to 1992, while Japan was a regular importer until 2002. Today, Hong Kong imports around 75% of the trade and Canada has regularly imported between 17 and 59% since 1999. These last two countries have been the only importers since 2005.
Oceania (CITES Region 6) Australia Although Australia exported small quantities of Crocodylus johnsoni meat in the early 1990s, the main species in trade has been in C. porosus (saltwater crocodile). Quantities of saltwater crocodile meat reported as exports by Australia over the period 1992 to 2008 peaked between 2000 and 2003 and subsequently decreased (Figure 13). Meat exports in 2007 were much reduced in comparison to previous years, but in 2008 exports increased again. The destination of the majority of the meat has been the Far East, particularly Taiwan, Province of China, between 1997 and 2004, while mainland China, Hong Kong SAR and Japan have also imported considerable amounts. New Zealand also imported between one and two tonnes annually over this period. 70,000 60,000
Quantity (kg)
50,000 40,000 30,000 20,000 10,000 0
Figure 13. Exports of C. porosus meat by Australia, 1992-2008. 14
Papua New Guinea Meat exports from Papua New Guinea since 1986 are shown in Figure 14. As the shipments have often been of a mixture of Crocodylus porosus and C. novaeguineae, from various sources (captive-bred and ranched) the data for these species have been combined.
180,000 160,000 140,000
Quantity (kg)
120,000 100,000 80,000 60,000 40,000 20,000 0
Figure 14. Exports of crocodile meat from Papua New Guinea, 1986-2008. No information on crocodiles was provided by Papua New Guinea for the years 1992-1996 and so these data have been taken from the annual reports of the importing countries, of which by far the most important is Australia. Since 1996, Papua Guinea has not exported crocodile meat anywhere else. From 2003 onwards, Papua New Guinea has only reported exporting meat from farmed saltwater crocodiles and has, in fact, never reported exporting meat from wild crocodiles apart from 3 t in1991. Australia, however, reports many of these shipments as coming from wild-caught animals and it would seem likely, in view of the fact that Papua New Guinea’s exports of skins from C. novaeguineae, are from wild-caught animals, that this is indeed the case. No report has been received from Papua New Guinea for 2008 and the only import reported has been 4 kg by Hong Kong on a 2008 export permit.
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Consumers Africa (CITES Region 1) Up until 2004, South Africa imported C. niloticus meat from Zambia and Zimbabwe, mainly for re-export to the Far East. Namibia reported importing meat from Zimbabwe in 2003 and 2004 and Zimbabwe reported exporting 6 t to Namibia in 2006. In 2008, Kenya reported exporting meat to the Sudan and Namibia reported importing one tonne from South Africa. There may also be local consumption of crocodile meat within Africa but there are no imports of meat from other regions.
Asia (CITES Region 2) Prior to 2007, there were only three significant importers in this region: China, Hong Kong SAR and Taiwan, Province of China. Combined, these countries accounted for the import of 82% of the world’s crocodilian meat production. Furthermore, China has been importing live Crocodylus siamensis in large numbers from Thailand, apparently to process into meat for local consumption. Imports increased up until 2007 with meat coming mostly from South Africa, Thailand, Zambia and Zimbabwe and in 2007, Colombia (Figure 15). It should be noted that the data for Figure 15 were derived from the importer’s data, apart from Taiwan, Province of China, which does not submit CITES reports. In 2008, Viet Nam was reportedly the destination of 45 t of meat from Thailand’s production and also reported exporting meat to the Republic of Korea. Singapore imported 2 t from Thailand, and Japan imported small quantities from Australia and Thailand in 2008.
China
Hong Kong SAR
Taiwan, Province of China
700,000 600,000
Quantity (kg)
500,000 400,000 300,000 200,000 100,000 0
Figure 15. Imports by the three main importers of crocodilian meat in Asia, 1993-2008. 16
Central and South America and the Caribbean (CITES Region 3) Apart from two tonnes of Nile crocodile meat reported as an export to Brazil by South Africa in 1993, this region appears not to be an importer of the commodity.
Europe (CITES Region 4) The main importing countries within Europe are the Netherlands, Belgium and Germany who between them account for about 90% of meat imports. Lesser importers are Switzerland, who usually imports via Belgium, Germany and the Netherlands, and the United Kingdom. Over the 15 year period 1994-2008, meat imports of most crocodilian species used for meat have been recorded, mainly in small quantities. The most notable trade, however, has been in meat of Nile crocodile Crocodylus niloticus and imports reported by Europe since 1994 are shown in Figure 16. It would appear that the trade has remained relatively constant at around 70 t per year between 2006 and 2008.
90,000 80,000 70,000
Quantity (kg)
60,000 50,000 40,000 30,000 20,000 10,000 0
Figure 16. Imports by European countries of C. niloticus meat, 1994-2008.
North America (CITES Region 5) Of the three countries in this region, Mexico can be discounted as an importer and the United States normally imports insignificant amounts. The exception was the import of 68 t of Caiman yacare meat from Bolivia by the United States in 2004 and 2005. The main importer of crocodilian meat is Canada which imports almost exclusively alligator meat from the United States. Imports over the 10 year period 1999-2008 have fluctuated but have averaged about 10 t per annum.
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Oceania (CITES Region 6) Australia has been the sole importer of crocodilian meat from Papua New Guinea since 1996 and the only other meat imports by that country appear to be 1.5 t imported from Zimbabwe in 1998. The quantity imported each year is between 30 t and 45 t and they have reported 30 t in each of 2007 and 2008. Since 1994, New Zealand has reported imports of between one and three tonnes of Crocodylus porosus meat annually from Australia, however no meat imports were reported in 2007 and only 280 kg in 2008.
Discussion In the early 1990s, the majority of crocodilian meat in world trade was provided by the United States; however, successful farming and ranching operations in Southern Africa provided an alternative to North American sales throughout the 1990s. In the late 1990s, crocodile farming gained popularity in Thailand and, more recently, farms have begun commercial production in Viet Nam. The main market for crocodilian meat is the Far East, principally China and Hong Kong S.A.R., and it is known that China has been importing live crocodiles, mostly from Thailand, for meat production for many years. It is therefore perhaps not surprising that much of the meat is imported by Hong Kong is now being sourced in nearby countries. However, 2007 saw increased meat production from Africa, especially from Zambia, and the introduction of caiman meat from Colombia going to Taiwan, Province of China. Up until 2007 the crocodilian meat industry appeared to be healthy and expanding, particularly in Africa and Asia. In 2007, there were large exports of caiman meat from South America which may have caused a slight decline in trade in Siamese crocodile meat that year. However, in 2008, global trade fell by just over 50 per cent compared with the previous year. All producers, apart from South Africa and Viet Nam, saw greatly diminished trade. In particular, there were no reported exports of caiman meat from South and Central America and Papua New Guinea’s exports appear to be almost non-existent. The cause of this massive decline is unclear, but it may be related to the global financial downturn that has been particularly severe in the Far East. It is interesting to note that in 1992 the United States reported exporting 155,000 alligator skins and 445 t of meat. Fourteen years later, in 2006, they reported exports of 421,000 skins but only 25 t of meat. These figures imply that there is tremendous potential for exports of alligator meat but it looks as though the principal market is unlikely to take up this material in the near future with such an abundant source of supply closer at hand.
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Acknowledgements The compiler would like to thank Don and Pamela Ashley and the Louisiana Alligator Advisory Council who made the production of this report possible, and Kelly Malsch of UNEP-WCMC for the prompt provision of essential data.
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Prepared for the Louisiana Alligator Council
by John Caldwell
United Nations Environment Programme World Conservation Monitoring Centre
July 2010
UNEP World Conservation Monitoring Centre
219 Huntingdon Road Cambridge CB3 0DL United Kingdom Tel: +44 (0) 1223 277314 Fax: +44 (0) 1223 277136 Email: [email protected] Website: www.unep-wcmc.org
ABOUT UNEP-WORLD CONSERVATION MONITORING CENTRE The UNEP World Conservation Monitoring Centre (UNEP-WCMC), based in Cambridge, UK, is the specialist biodiversity information and assessment centre of the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP), run cooperatively with WCMC 2000, a UK charity. The Centre's mission is to evaluate and highlight the many values of biodiversity and put authoritative biodiversity knowledge at the centre of decision-making. Through the analysis and synthesis of global biodiversity knowledge the Centre provides authoritative, strategic and timely information for conventions, countries and organisations to use in the development and implementation of their policies and decisions. The UNEP-WCMC provides objective and scientifically rigorous procedures and services. These include ecosystem assessments, support for the implementation of environmental agreements, global and regional biodiversity information, research on threats and impacts, and the development of future scenarios.
CITATION John Caldwell (2010). Global trade in crocodilian meat. UNEP-WCMC, Cambridge.
DISCLAIMER The contents of this report do not necessarily reflect the views or policies of UNEP or contributory organisations. The designations employed and the presentations do not imply the expressions of any opinion whatsoever on the part of UNEP, the Louisiana Alligator Advisory Council or contributory organisations concerning the legal status of any country, territory, city or area or its authority, or concerning the delimitation of its frontiers or boundaries. © Copyright: 2010, UNEP World Conservation Monitoring Centre/Louisiana Alligator Advisory Council.
Contents INTRODUCTION......................................................................................................................................... 1 DATA INCLUDED ....................................................................................................................................... 1 LIMITATIONS OF THE DATA ................................................................................................................. 1 OVERVIEW.................................................................................................................................................... 3 PRODUCERS ................................................................................................................................................. 8 AFRICA (CITES REGION 1) ......................................................................................................................... 8 South Africa ............................................................................................................................................ 8 Zambia ..................................................................................................................................................... 9 Zimbabwe ............................................................................................................................................. 10 ASIA (CITES REGION 2) ............................................................................................................................ 10 Indonesia ............................................................................................................................................... 10 Israel ....................................................................................................................................................... 11 Malaysia ................................................................................................................................................ 11 Singapore............................................................................................................................................... 11 Thailand................................................................................................................................................. 11 Viet Nam ............................................................................................................................................... 12 CENTRAL AND SOUTH AMERICA AND THE CARIBBEAN (CITES REGION 3) ........................................... 13 Argentina .............................................................................................................................................. 13 Bolivia .................................................................................................................................................... 13 Colombia ............................................................................................................................................... 13 Venezuela .............................................................................................................................................. 13 NORTH AMERICA (CITES REGION 5) ....................................................................................................... 13 Mexico.................................................................................................................................................... 13 United States ......................................................................................................................................... 14 OCEANIA (CITES REGION 6) .................................................................................................................... 14 Australia ................................................................................................................................................ 14 Papua New Guinea .............................................................................................................................. 15 CONSUMERS.............................................................................................................................................. 16 Africa (CITES Region 1) ...................................................................................................................... 16 Asia (CITES Region 2) ......................................................................................................................... 16 Central and South America and the Caribbean (CITES Region 3) ................................................ 17 Europe (CITES Region 4) .................................................................................................................... 17 North America (CITES Region 5)....................................................................................................... 17 Oceania (CITES Region 6) ................................................................................................................... 18 DISCUSSION .............................................................................................................................................. 18 ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS ........................................................................................................................ 19
List of Figures Figure 1. Global exports of crocodilian meat, 1986-2008. ......................................................................... 3 Figure 2. Exports of Alligator mississippiensis meat by the United States, 1986-2008. ............................... 4 Figure 3. African exports of Crocodylus niloticus meat, 1986-2008. ............................................................. 4 Figure 4. World exports of C. novaeguineae and C. porosus meat, 1986-2008. ............................................ 5 Figure 5. World exports of Crocodylus siamensis meat, 1997-2008. ............................................................. 6 Figure 6. World exports of caiman meat, 1986-2008.................................................................................... 7 Figure 7. World exports of meat from the three main species of crocodilian in trade, 1986-2008. ......... 7 Figure 8. South Africa’s direct exports of C. niloticus meat, 1996-2008. ..................................................... 9 Figure 9. Exports of C. niloticus meat from Zambia, 1994-2008. ................................................................. 9 Figure 10. Exports of C. niloticus meat by Zimbabwe, 1994-2008............................................................. 10 Figure 11. Exports of C. siamensis meat by Thailand, 1996-2008. ........................................................... 12 Figure 12. A breakdown of Thailand’s exports of C. siamenses meat, 2003-2008. ................................... 12 Figure 13. Exports of C. porosus meat by Australia, 1992-2008. ............................................................. 14 Figure 14. Exports of crocodile meat from Papua New Guinea, 1986-2008. ........................................ 15 Figure 15. Imports by the three main importers of crocodilian meat in Asia, 1993-2008.................. 16 Figure 16. Imports by European countries of C. niloticus meat, 1994-2008. ........................................ 17
Introduction This report on the global trade in the meat of crocodilians is the third produced by UNEPWCMC for the Louisiana Alligator Advisory Council. The trade data used in this report have been obtained from the CITES Trade Database, a resource containing all the information provided by the countries that are party to the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES) in their annual reports. This database is managed and maintained by UNEP-WCMC on behalf of the CITES Secretariat. Some additional information has been kindly provided by the Crocodile Farmers Association of Zimbabwe (CFAZ). The report also attempts to identify problem areas and to recommend, where possible, workable solutions. All species within the family Crocodylia are listed in either Appendix I or II of CITES. Of those species specifically mentioned in this report, the following are listed in Appendix I: Crocodylus moreletii, C. niloticus, C. porosus, C. siamensis and Caiman latirostris, although some of these species have populations listed in Appendix II.
Data Included This report is based on an analysis of the annual reports submitted by the Parties to CITES for all years up to 2008, and if applicable, 2009. A list of annual reports that have been submitted is available at www.cites.org/common/resources/annual_reports.pdf. Wherever possible, data reported by the producer countries have been used in preference to that reported by importing countries because the time lag between export and import, may lead to double-counting and thus an overestimation of trade volume. However, where exporting countries have failed to submit annual report data on exports of crocodilian meat, importers’ data have been used. This report on crocodile meat trade is divided into two sections – producer and consumer countries, with trade data presented by CITES Region. The figures and tables contain trade information from all sources, including captive-bred, ranched and wild specimens, unless otherwise specified.
Limitations of the data Incomplete data due to late submission or failure to submit CITES annual reports remains an impediment to conducting trade analyses using CITES trade data. Analysing annual reports is complicated by the inconsistent basis on which the reports are compiled. According to CITES Notification to the Parties No. 2006/030 of 2 May 2006, Parties may report on the basis of the permits and certificates that have been issued if they are unable to report on the actual number of specimens that entered or left the country. However, reporting on the basis of permits issued may lead to overestimates of trade volume as permits are frequently issued for quantities in excess of those actually traded and indeed, some of the permits may expire 1
without being used. Despite frequent reminders from the CITES Secretariat, the majority of Parties still do not provide any details concerning the basis on which their annual reports are compiled. Most CITES annual reports are compiled on a shipment-by-shipment basis and many include the exporters’ permit numbers. This allows for accurate cross-checking of data, particularly where an export may be reported in one year and the import of the same shipment reported the following year, and enables potential reporting or typographical errors to be traced. All annual reports for the years up to 2008 should have been submitted by 31 October 2009 but, at the time of writing (June 2010), several reports that might contain important data have still not been received by the CITES Secretariat. These include Kenya (2003), Nicaragua (2008) and United Republic of Tanzania (hereafter referred to a Tanzania) 2007. The accuracy of the data provided in CITES annual reports is a further limitation and care has been taken to reduce this source of error to a minimum by close cross matching of import data with the original export permit information. However, the reporting of crocodilian meat suffers from several other problems not encountered in analysis of other commodities. For instance, many of the transactions in annual reports appear to be reported by only the exporting country and not by the importer. This is particularly noticeable in exports from the United States, who claims to report actual trade, to Canada. The reason for the failure by Canada to include the data in their annual report is not known, but it may be that the commodity is treated as food rather than a CITES specimen. Frequently the unit of weight is absent and cross matching of permits from the United States with those of importing countries indicates that the original export quantity was in pounds while the imported quantity was in kilograms. Wherever this has been encountered the data have been amended to show metric weight.
2
Overview World trade in crocodilian meat has generally increased over the period 1986 to 2008 as reported by exporters in CITES annual reports (Figure 1). Between 1990 and 2004, the amount traded globally fluctuated between 300 and 500 tonnes (t) annually. However, exports increased to just below 600 t in 2005 and then increased markedly to nearly 1,000 t in both 2006 and 2007 before decreasing back to approximately 488 t in 2008. Since 1988 there have been major fluctuations in the countries and species involved in the trade of crocodilian meat.
1,200,000 1,000,000
Quantity (kg)
800,000 600,000 400,000 200,000 0
Figure 1. Global exports of crocodilian meat, 1986-2008. Until 1992 the main species in trade was Alligator mississippiensis from the United States, particularly to Taiwan, Province of China, Japan, Canada and the United Kingdom. No exports to Taiwan, Province of China, have been reported since 1994 and overall export levels have fallen since the mid 1990s (Figure 2) with the main importers in recent years being Canada and Hong Kong.
3
600,000
500,000
Quantity (kg)
400,000
300,000
200,000
100,000
0
Figure 2. Exports of Alligator mississippiensis meat by the United States, 1986-2008. Since the early 1990s, exports of Crocodylus niloticus, particularly from South Africa, Zambia and Zimbabwe have increased steadily from less than half a tonne in 1990 to a peak of nearly 500 t in 2007 (Figure 3). Reported exports decreased by about 50% to 244 t in 2008. 600,000
500,000
Quantity (kg)
400,000
300,000
200,000
100,000
0
Figure 3. African exports of Crocodylus niloticus meat, 1986-2008.
4
The main destinations for the African production are Europe (particularly Belgium, Germany, Netherlands, Switzerland and the United Kingdom), Hong Kong and China; however, in 2004 and 2005, some exports went to Japan and in 2008, Viet Nam imported 45 t from South Africa. Zambia’s production used to be exported via South Africa but now appears to be exported directly to the Far East. Fresh water crocodile (C. novaeguineae) and salt water crocodile (C. porosus) data have been combined as one of the major exporters, Papua New Guinea, frequently trades in mixed shipments containing both species. Apart from Papua New Guinea the other exporters are Australia, Indonesia, Malaysia and Thailand. Details of the global volume traded are provided in Figure 4. The spike in 1994 can be attributed primarily to imports from Papua New Guinea reported by Australia. Apart from 4 kg reported as an import by Hong Kong, there is no information available regarding exports of crocodilian meat from Papua New Guinea in 2008. 200,000 180,000 160,000 140,000 Quantity (kg)
120,000 100,000 80,000 60,000 40,000 20,000 0
Figure 4. World exports of C. novaeguineae and C. porosus meat, 1986-2008. The most dramatic change in the meat industry has been with trade in Siamese crocodile (C. siamensis) which saw exports increase substantially between 2004 and 2006 and then decrease again in 2007 and 2008 (Figure 5). This species has been farmed extensively in Thailand for many years, but until 2004 exports had been small, generally fluctuating between 20 t and 55 t annually. However, in 2004 exports increased to over 71 t then doubled to almost 140 t in 2005. In addition, Viet Nam began reporting exports of the species with a shipment of 100 kg that year. In 2006, reported exports from Viet Nam increased to 24 t and Thailand’s reported exports again increased to almost 400 t. The quantity reported as being
5
exported in 2007 fell to 275 t, then further to 165 t in 2008, with both the major producers reporting smaller quantities than previous years. 450,000 400,000 350,000
Quantity (kg)
300,000 250,000 200,000 150,000 100,000 50,000 0
Figure 5. World exports of Crocodylus siamensis meat, 1997-2008. Trade in the meat of caimans has been very variable over the period 1986-2008 (Figure 6). There were exports of Caiman crocodilus crocodilus from the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela (hereafter referred to as Venezuela) between 1989 and 1997 and of Caiman crocodilus fuscus from Colombia between 1994 and 1997. Reported exports of caiman meat ceased until 2003 when Bolivia exported 10 kg of Caiman yacare meat to the United States. This was followed by further, and much larger, exports of C. yacare by Bolivia in 2005 (to United States) and 2006 (to Belgium and Germany). Colombia also started exporting again with small quantities going to Macau S.A.R. and mainland China in 2004 and 2005. In 2006, Colombia reported exporting 9 t to Taiwan, Province of China, and then a further 110 t to the same destination in 2007. In 2006, Argentina began exporting C. latirostris and C. yacare meat. There has been no reported trade in meat of any of the caiman species in 2008.
6
160,000 140,000
Quantity (kg)
120,000 100,000 80,000 60,000 40,000 20,000 0
Figure 6. World exports of caiman meat, 1986-2008. Figure 7 compares global trade in American alligator, Nile crocodile and Siamese crocodile. A. mississippiensis
C. niloticus
C. siamensis
600,000 500,000
No. of skins
400,000 300,000 200,000 100,000 0
Figure 7. World exports of meat from the three main species of crocodilian in trade, 1986-2008.
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Producers Africa (CITES Region 1) There have been considerable exports of Nile crocodile (C. niloticus) meat from the southern African countries of South Africa, Zambia and Zimbabwe since 1993. However, South Africa has, up to 2004, imported crocodile meat from its neighbours and then re-exported it. Since that time it appears that Zambia and Zimbabwe have exported all their produce directly. In the following analysis, data from importing countries have been used in preference to information from Zimbabwe for 1997 onwards as the data in that country’s annual report is very inconsistent. Similarly, South African import data for 1994 to 2004 has been used in preference to Zambia’s data as annual reports for several years have not been provided. In 2008, Kenya reported exporting 400 kg of meat from ranched crocodiles to the Sudan.
South Africa South Africa has been exporting farmed Nile crocodile meat since 1993. Quantities have fluctuated considerably, rising to an apparent peak of over 220 t in 2005. However, South Africa’s annual report is based on the information on the permits it issues. So, if a permit is not ultimately used, that information may not be reported by South Africa until several years later, if at all, and can lead to an overestimation of trade. In addition, the amount of meat for which a permit is issued may not necessarily be the quantity actually exported. Thus, the apparent peak in 2005 may reflect a quantity considerably higher than the quantity actually traded. For example, there were seven permits totalling 66.3 t that were not reported by importing countries and may not have been used. The remaining 20 shipments that were reported by both South Africa and the importing countries amounted to 154 t according to South Africa; however the quantity reported by the importers was only 101 t, only 66% of the quantity reported by the exporter. The peak in 2005 was followed by a trough in 2006, a situation possibly brought about by export permits issued in 2005 being used in 2006. Data from the importing countries do not indicate a peak/trough situation. In 2007, reported exports doubled to almost 120t and increased further to 150 t in 2008.
8
250,000
Quantity (kg)
200,000
150,000
100,000
50,000
0
Figure 8. South Africa’s direct exports of C. niloticus meat, 1996-2008.
Zambia Zambia has been exporting C. niloticus meat since 1994; however, the quantities have fluctuated wildly, with none being reported in 1997, 2000 and 2004 but over 60 t being reported in 1998, 1999 and 2001. Up to 2005, South Africa was the sole importer, but since 2006 all meat appears to have been exported directly to Hong Kong. In 2007, there was a substantial increase in exports to 163 t which was confirmed by Hong Kong’s import data; however in 2008 exports were back down to 58 t. 180,000 160,000 140,000
Quantity (kg)
120,000 100,000 80,000 60,000 40,000 20,000 0
Figure 9. Exports of C. niloticus meat from Zambia, 1994-2008. 9
Zimbabwe Significant exports of Nile crocodile meat from Zimbabwe began in 1994 and rose steadily over the next decade, peaking at just over 300 t in 2004. This was followed by a decrease in 2005 then further increases to reach 280 t in 2007.The reported trade then decreased notably to 64 t in 2008 (Figure 10). 350,000 300,000
Quantity (kg)
250,000 200,000 150,000 100,000 50,000 0
Figure 10. Exports of C. niloticus meat by Zimbabwe, 1994-2008. The destination of the majority of the meat (73%) has been the Far East, either directly or via South Africa whilst most of the remainder is imported by Europe, mainly Belgium, Germany, Netherlands and United Kingdom.
Asia (CITES Region 2) Indonesia Over the period 1994 and 1997 there was a moratorium on exports of crocodilian products from Indonesia. In 1998, Hong Kong reported importing 150 kg of saltwater crocodile meat and in 1999 Indonesia reported exports of 1.2 t of the same species. The year 2000 saw Indonesia’s greatest exports of crocodile meat, with 10.6 t of C. novaeguineae and 5.7 t of C. porosus going to China, Hong Kong and Singapore. Exports in the following three years were approximately 650 kg per annum and no exports of meat were reported in 2004. Since 2005, Indonesia’s reported exports have been limited to C. porosus and have amounted to about 1.5 t per annum until 2007, the meat going to Hong Kong, Malaysia and Taiwan, Province of China. In 2008, reported exports were 800 kg, all reported as being from captivebred animals.
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Israel Exports of farm-produced C.niloticus meat were reported by Israel in 1989 and 1991-1995, with the greatest quantities being 2.3 t in 1992 and 6 t in 1993. Few of the exports were confirmed by the importers. The United Kingdom reported importing 1 t in 1996. No further trade has been reported.
Malaysia Malaysia reported exporting 460 kg of C. porosus meat in 1983 but nothing further until 2005 when an export of 10 kg to Hong Kong was reported. This was followed in 2006 by an export of 330 kg and a further 240 kg in 2007 to the same destination. Malaysia did not report exporting meat in 2008, but Hong Kong reported importing 450 kg on permits issued that year. Malaysia has five CITES-registered captive-breeding operations for this species and the meat is reported to be source ‘D’.
Singapore Singapore reported exporting a total of almost 1.3 t of meat from farmed Crocodylus porosus between 2002 and 2005, all going to Hong Kong, but none since.
Thailand Apart from 150 kg of saltwater crocodile meat exported to China in 1999 and 2.8 t of hybrid C. porosus x C. siamensis meat exported to Taiwan, Republic of China in 2002, all of Thailand’s exports have been of captive-bred C. siamensis. Exports rose rapidly from 2003 and peaked at almost 400 t in 2006. Since that time, exports have diminished and amounted to 159 t in 2008 (Figure 11). Although Thailand reported exporting over 30 t to Germany and the Netherlands in 2001 and 3.6 t to the United Kingdom in 2004, most of the meat was exported to China and Hong Kong with lesser quantities to Japan, Republic of Korea and Taiwan, Province of China.
11
450,000 400,000 350,000
Quantity (kg)
300,000 250,000 200,000 150,000 100,000 50,000 0
Figure 11. Exports of C. siamensis meat by Thailand, 1996-2008. Unlike other exporting countries, Thailand has two categories of meat. The first is described simply as ‘meat’ and the second as ‘meat + bone’ but what the product is exactly is unclear. Thus, it is possible that the Thai figures are not directly comparable with meat data reported by other countries. The relevant quantities of each can be seen in Figure 12. meat meat + bone 400,000 350,000 300,000
Quantity (kg)
250,000 200,000 150,000 100,000 50,000 0 2003
2004
2005
2006
2007
2008
Figure 12. A breakdown of Thailand’s exports of C. siamenses meat, 2003-2008.
Viet Nam Trade in meat of captive-bred Siamese crocodile from Viet Nam began in 2005 with a shipment of 100 kg to Switzerland. Reported exports in 2006 were over 24 t, mainly to 12
Belgium (11.8 t) and China (10 t), and lesser amounts to Canada, Germany and the Republic of Korea. However, reported imports by those countries were far less and amounted to only 3.3 t. For 2007, Viet Nam only reported the export of a shipment weighing 2 t going to the Netherlands, however further imports were reported by Belgium and Germany on export permits issued that year. In 2008, Viet Nam reported exporting 5.5 t.
Central and South America and the Caribbean (CITES Region 3) Argentina Argentina has recently developed ranching operations for Caiman latirostris and C. yacare. The country reported exporting 1.2 t of C. latirostris and 50 kg C. yacare meat to the United Kingdom in 2006, and a further 3 t of C. yacare to the United Kingdom in 2007. Argentina has yet to submit an annual report for 2008, and no imports of caiman meat have been reported by importers.
Bolivia Exports of meat of Caiman yacare from Bolivia began in 2003 with a shipment of just 10 kg to the United States. Further exports of 22.5 t and 47.5 t were reported to the United States in 2004 and 2005. Bolivia also reported exporting 21.2 t to Netherlands in 2005, but this was not reported by the importer. Exports in 2006 amounted to 82 t, most confirmed by the importers in 2006 and 2007, but decreased to just over 30 t in 2007. Like Argentina, Bolivia has yet to submit an annual report for 2008; there have been no reported imports of caiman meat by importing countries in 2008.
Colombia Farm-produced meat of Caiman crocodilus fuscus was exported in small quantities (< 8 t/annum) between 1994 and 1997. Very small quantities were reported by Colombia as exports to Macau and mainland China in 2004 and 2005. In 2006, Colombia reported exports of 9.5 t to Taiwan, Province of China, and then a further 110 t to the same destination in 2007. Colombia reported no exports of caiman meat in 2008.
Venezuela Exports of wild-caught caiman meat from the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela were reported each year between 1989 and 1997, except for 1996. The quantities varied from 0.6 t in 1989 to almost 45 t in 1993. The importers were Japan and the United States.
North America (CITES Region 5) Mexico Exports of meat from captive-bred C. moreletii were reported by Mexico in 1996, 1997, 1999 and 2000, and 2002 and 2003. The greatest quantities were of 3.5 t in both 1999 and 2002 and 13
the importer in all instances was Japan. No exports of crocodilian meat have been reported by Mexico since 2003.
United States As shown in Figure 2 and noted in the overview section above, export of alligator meat from the United States peaked between 1989 and 1996, but has subsequently declined and has averaged around 36 t yearly since that time. Europe appears to have been the major destination in 1986, but this may have been an artefact of reporting efficiency. The main destination since 1987 has been the Far East, with Taiwan, Province of China, being the major importer up to 1992, while Japan was a regular importer until 2002. Today, Hong Kong imports around 75% of the trade and Canada has regularly imported between 17 and 59% since 1999. These last two countries have been the only importers since 2005.
Oceania (CITES Region 6) Australia Although Australia exported small quantities of Crocodylus johnsoni meat in the early 1990s, the main species in trade has been in C. porosus (saltwater crocodile). Quantities of saltwater crocodile meat reported as exports by Australia over the period 1992 to 2008 peaked between 2000 and 2003 and subsequently decreased (Figure 13). Meat exports in 2007 were much reduced in comparison to previous years, but in 2008 exports increased again. The destination of the majority of the meat has been the Far East, particularly Taiwan, Province of China, between 1997 and 2004, while mainland China, Hong Kong SAR and Japan have also imported considerable amounts. New Zealand also imported between one and two tonnes annually over this period. 70,000 60,000
Quantity (kg)
50,000 40,000 30,000 20,000 10,000 0
Figure 13. Exports of C. porosus meat by Australia, 1992-2008. 14
Papua New Guinea Meat exports from Papua New Guinea since 1986 are shown in Figure 14. As the shipments have often been of a mixture of Crocodylus porosus and C. novaeguineae, from various sources (captive-bred and ranched) the data for these species have been combined.
180,000 160,000 140,000
Quantity (kg)
120,000 100,000 80,000 60,000 40,000 20,000 0
Figure 14. Exports of crocodile meat from Papua New Guinea, 1986-2008. No information on crocodiles was provided by Papua New Guinea for the years 1992-1996 and so these data have been taken from the annual reports of the importing countries, of which by far the most important is Australia. Since 1996, Papua Guinea has not exported crocodile meat anywhere else. From 2003 onwards, Papua New Guinea has only reported exporting meat from farmed saltwater crocodiles and has, in fact, never reported exporting meat from wild crocodiles apart from 3 t in1991. Australia, however, reports many of these shipments as coming from wild-caught animals and it would seem likely, in view of the fact that Papua New Guinea’s exports of skins from C. novaeguineae, are from wild-caught animals, that this is indeed the case. No report has been received from Papua New Guinea for 2008 and the only import reported has been 4 kg by Hong Kong on a 2008 export permit.
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Consumers Africa (CITES Region 1) Up until 2004, South Africa imported C. niloticus meat from Zambia and Zimbabwe, mainly for re-export to the Far East. Namibia reported importing meat from Zimbabwe in 2003 and 2004 and Zimbabwe reported exporting 6 t to Namibia in 2006. In 2008, Kenya reported exporting meat to the Sudan and Namibia reported importing one tonne from South Africa. There may also be local consumption of crocodile meat within Africa but there are no imports of meat from other regions.
Asia (CITES Region 2) Prior to 2007, there were only three significant importers in this region: China, Hong Kong SAR and Taiwan, Province of China. Combined, these countries accounted for the import of 82% of the world’s crocodilian meat production. Furthermore, China has been importing live Crocodylus siamensis in large numbers from Thailand, apparently to process into meat for local consumption. Imports increased up until 2007 with meat coming mostly from South Africa, Thailand, Zambia and Zimbabwe and in 2007, Colombia (Figure 15). It should be noted that the data for Figure 15 were derived from the importer’s data, apart from Taiwan, Province of China, which does not submit CITES reports. In 2008, Viet Nam was reportedly the destination of 45 t of meat from Thailand’s production and also reported exporting meat to the Republic of Korea. Singapore imported 2 t from Thailand, and Japan imported small quantities from Australia and Thailand in 2008.
China
Hong Kong SAR
Taiwan, Province of China
700,000 600,000
Quantity (kg)
500,000 400,000 300,000 200,000 100,000 0
Figure 15. Imports by the three main importers of crocodilian meat in Asia, 1993-2008. 16
Central and South America and the Caribbean (CITES Region 3) Apart from two tonnes of Nile crocodile meat reported as an export to Brazil by South Africa in 1993, this region appears not to be an importer of the commodity.
Europe (CITES Region 4) The main importing countries within Europe are the Netherlands, Belgium and Germany who between them account for about 90% of meat imports. Lesser importers are Switzerland, who usually imports via Belgium, Germany and the Netherlands, and the United Kingdom. Over the 15 year period 1994-2008, meat imports of most crocodilian species used for meat have been recorded, mainly in small quantities. The most notable trade, however, has been in meat of Nile crocodile Crocodylus niloticus and imports reported by Europe since 1994 are shown in Figure 16. It would appear that the trade has remained relatively constant at around 70 t per year between 2006 and 2008.
90,000 80,000 70,000
Quantity (kg)
60,000 50,000 40,000 30,000 20,000 10,000 0
Figure 16. Imports by European countries of C. niloticus meat, 1994-2008.
North America (CITES Region 5) Of the three countries in this region, Mexico can be discounted as an importer and the United States normally imports insignificant amounts. The exception was the import of 68 t of Caiman yacare meat from Bolivia by the United States in 2004 and 2005. The main importer of crocodilian meat is Canada which imports almost exclusively alligator meat from the United States. Imports over the 10 year period 1999-2008 have fluctuated but have averaged about 10 t per annum.
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Oceania (CITES Region 6) Australia has been the sole importer of crocodilian meat from Papua New Guinea since 1996 and the only other meat imports by that country appear to be 1.5 t imported from Zimbabwe in 1998. The quantity imported each year is between 30 t and 45 t and they have reported 30 t in each of 2007 and 2008. Since 1994, New Zealand has reported imports of between one and three tonnes of Crocodylus porosus meat annually from Australia, however no meat imports were reported in 2007 and only 280 kg in 2008.
Discussion In the early 1990s, the majority of crocodilian meat in world trade was provided by the United States; however, successful farming and ranching operations in Southern Africa provided an alternative to North American sales throughout the 1990s. In the late 1990s, crocodile farming gained popularity in Thailand and, more recently, farms have begun commercial production in Viet Nam. The main market for crocodilian meat is the Far East, principally China and Hong Kong S.A.R., and it is known that China has been importing live crocodiles, mostly from Thailand, for meat production for many years. It is therefore perhaps not surprising that much of the meat is imported by Hong Kong is now being sourced in nearby countries. However, 2007 saw increased meat production from Africa, especially from Zambia, and the introduction of caiman meat from Colombia going to Taiwan, Province of China. Up until 2007 the crocodilian meat industry appeared to be healthy and expanding, particularly in Africa and Asia. In 2007, there were large exports of caiman meat from South America which may have caused a slight decline in trade in Siamese crocodile meat that year. However, in 2008, global trade fell by just over 50 per cent compared with the previous year. All producers, apart from South Africa and Viet Nam, saw greatly diminished trade. In particular, there were no reported exports of caiman meat from South and Central America and Papua New Guinea’s exports appear to be almost non-existent. The cause of this massive decline is unclear, but it may be related to the global financial downturn that has been particularly severe in the Far East. It is interesting to note that in 1992 the United States reported exporting 155,000 alligator skins and 445 t of meat. Fourteen years later, in 2006, they reported exports of 421,000 skins but only 25 t of meat. These figures imply that there is tremendous potential for exports of alligator meat but it looks as though the principal market is unlikely to take up this material in the near future with such an abundant source of supply closer at hand.
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Acknowledgements The compiler would like to thank Don and Pamela Ashley and the Louisiana Alligator Advisory Council who made the production of this report possible, and Kelly Malsch of UNEP-WCMC for the prompt provision of essential data.
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