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NOVEMBER 03, 2023
Message to the Congress — Notification to the Congress Consistent With Section 8 of the Fishermen’s Protective Act of 1967, as amended (22 U.S.C. 197)
TO THE CONGRESS OF THE UNITED STATES:
On August 24, 2023, the Secretary of the Interior certified under section 8 of the Fishermen’s Protective Act of 1967, as amended (the “Pelly Amendment”) (22 U.S.C. 1978), that nationals of the People’s Republic of China (PRC) are engaging in trade or taking of eight species of pangolin that diminishes the effectiveness of the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES). This letter constitutes my notification to the Congress consistent with subsection (b) of the Pelly Amendment.
Pangolins, the world’s only scaly mammal, are captured and trafficked at a higher rate annually than rhinoceroses, elephants, and tigers combined. Consumer demand for pangolin scales for traditional medicinal practices has pushed all eight pangolin species, originating from across Africa and Asia, toward extinction. Effective January 2, 2017, all species of pangolin were included in CITES Appendix I, which prohibits international trade for primarily commercial purposes. Despite this prohibition, the PRC remains the largest destination country for pangolin scales.
https://www.whitehouse.gov/briefing-room/presidential-actions/2023/11/03/message-to-the-congress-notification-to-the-congress-consistent-with-section-8-of-the-fishermens-protective-act-of-1967-as-amended-22-u-s-c-197/