RAROTONGA (Pacnews) — Cook Islands is the third biggest culprit of illegal exports into New Zealand, contributing to 13 percent of all unlawful goods seized by the customs departments of Pacific islands.
The illegal goods are mainly undeclared seafood and the export of internationally protected giant clam meat, or paua, turtle shells and turtle meat.
This was revealed during a workshop on the Convention on International Trade of Endangered Species held in Fiji in April and attended by Tu Tangi of the Environment Service.
It has prompted Environment Services to enforce a restriction of between five to 10 kilograms of paua meat taken out of the country.
Its director, Vaitoti Tupa, said the limit is yet to be negotiated with northern island councils. The Environment Service will also step up its watch on the protection of turtles. People wanting to take paua meat and shells out of the country must get a permit from Environment Services, a procedure introduced in Nov. 2001. However according to Tupa, many people are failing to do this, resulting in confiscation of the goods at Auckland airport and a black market on the Cook Islands.
Giant clams are internationally classified as an endangered species and movement between countries is prohibited unless the exporter obtains a CITES permit. Turtles are protected under international treaties, but Tupa said the Cook Islands is not party to the treaties.
He said despite an awareness program and hefty fines for anyone caught exporting turtle shells and meat from the Cook Islands, they are still being seized in New Zealand and Australia.
