Ross,
 
Here's the Endangered Species Act:       http://www.law.indiana.edu/envdec/c.html
 
Also go the The Jacksonville Shell Club web page for CITES and a lot more:
http://home.sprynet.com/~wfrank/jacksonv.htm
 
Marlo
Florida
 
Ross Mayhew wrote:
 
>     Could someone please look up the laws regarding species on the CITES
> (endangered spp) list??  I know it is perfectly legal to simply own
> their remains or products (or else a lot of piano keys would have to be
> removed!!!), and that it is illegal to import them into any country.
> The gray area seems to be whether or not it is legal to sell them (i
> steer clear of them as a matter of principle, but  there are those who
> think if they own something, they should have a right to sell it, if
> they choose).
>      I have heard that it is legal, in the USA, to sell endangered spp
> products, if one can demontrate that they were "collected" or
> "harvested" before the date they were declared "endangered" (whether or
> not they actually are endangered, is another issue for another time -
> many species get put on the CITES list for reasons other than their
> actually bieng endangered, while the vast majority (most likely 90% or
> more ) of all species which actually or probably are endangered are too
> poorly studied to ever make it to CITES - most will become extinct
> before they are even known to exist, by scientists!!), but if the
> documentation is lacking, it is as illegal as if they were post-CITES
> obtained.  Could someone please confirm or disconfirm this??
>
> -Ross M.
>
> P.S.:  There are members of this list from many countries- could some of
> them perhaps also dig up the laws on CITES- designated spp for their
> countries??  I will do so for Canada, and report back.