CITES and Protected Aquarium Species
How CITES Appendices I, II and III work, which aquarium animals are listed (Asian arowana, seahorses, zebra pleco, stony corals, giant clams), and what permits and captive-bred papers mean.
What CITES is
CITES, the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (also called the Washington Convention), is a multilateral treaty that entered into force on 1 July 1975. Its aim is to keep international trade in listed animals and plants from threatening their survival in the wild. It covers more than 40,900 species, subspecies and populations, and as of June 2025 it had 185 Parties, including the European Union. CITES does not replace national law: each Party must pass its own legislation to implement it, and Parties may adopt stricter domestic measures.
CITES regulates import, export, re-export and introduction from the sea, and its definition of trade does not require money to change hands. Specimens include live or dead animals and plants and products made from them. Each trade must be authorised in advance by permits or certificates issued by the national Management Authority, which is advised by a Scientific Authority.
The three Appendices
- Appendix I: taxa threatened with extinction. Commercial trade in wild-sourced specimens is not permitted; non-commercial trade needs both an import and an export permit.
- Appendix II: taxa not necessarily threatened, but whose trade must be controlled; it also covers look-alike species. Trade normally needs an export permit or re-export certificate from the exporting country. Most CITES-listed taxa are in Appendix II.
- Appendix III: species protected in at least one country that has asked other Parties for help in controlling trade. Trade needs an export permit from the listing country or a certificate of origin from other countries.
Changes to Appendices I and II are decided at the Conference of the Parties, held about every three years, while a Party can amend Appendix III on its own. A species can also be split-listed, with different populations on different Appendices.
Aquarium species listed under CITES
The listings below are taken from the Species+ database run for CITES and the EU wildlife trade regulations, as accessed in October 2026. Listings change at each Conference of the Parties.
Asian arowana (Scleropages formosus): Appendix I
The Asian arowana was placed on Appendix I, the most restrictive category, in 1975, and is one of only a few fish species on that Appendix. Since 1989 CITES has allowed trade in arowanas bred on registered fish farms for at least two generations. Wikipedia reports more than 150 CITES-registered farms in Singapore, Malaysia, Indonesia and other Southeast Asian countries. Legally traded captive-bred fish come with a certificate of authenticity and a birth certificate from the farm, and each fish carries an implanted microchip (passive integrated transponder). Some countries restrict or prohibit the species regardless.
Seahorses (Hippocampus spp.): Appendix II
The whole genus Hippocampus has been listed in Appendix II since 15 May 2004, following a decision taken in 2002. The listing was driven largely by trade in dried seahorses: up to 20 million may be caught each year for traditional medicine, alongside habitat loss and overfishing.
Zebra pleco (Hypancistrus zebra): Appendix II
The zebra pleco (L-046, L-098) is endemic to a short stretch of the Rio Xingu in Brazil and is threatened by the Belo Monte Dam, which has greatly reduced water flow in its range. Brazil added it to its national endangered species list in 2004 and bans its export. The species has been in CITES Appendix II since 23 February 2023, so international trade, including in captive-bred specimens, requires CITES permits. It is bred commercially in captivity.
Stony corals and giant clams: Appendix II
All stony corals of the order Scleractinia are listed in Appendix II, so their international trade, including parts and derivatives, is regulated; fossil specimens are excluded. All giant clams (family Tridacnidae) are also in Appendix II. Some smaller giant clam species are farmed, for example in the Philippines, to supply the marine aquarium and food trades.
Permits and captive-bred documentation
CITES has special procedures for captive-bred animals and artificially propagated plants once the Management Authority is satisfied of their origin. Commercial trade in captive-bred specimens of Appendix I species can be treated as Appendix II trade, which needs one permit (export) instead of two. Specimens legally acquired before their species was listed can be traded with a pre-Convention certificate. A personal and household effects exemption exists, but many situations still need documents and some countries apply stricter rules.
In the EU, CITES is implemented through Council Regulation (EC) No 338/97, which places species in Annexes A to D. Species+ shows the Asian arowana in Annex A and seahorses, the zebra pleco, giant clams and stony corals in Annex B. In Great Britain, the Animal and Plant Health Agency issues CITES permits; its guidance states that Annex A specimens can be imported only in exceptional circumstances, that commercial use of Annex A specimens needs a commercial use (Article 10 or Article 60) certificate, and that moving CITES specimens without valid documents can lead to up to 7 years in prison, an unlimited fine, or both. Verify current status with the relevant authority.
- Keep every CITES document, farm certificate and microchip record that comes with a listed animal; they show legal origin.
- A CITES export permit from one country does not guarantee that the importing country will issue its own permit.
- Related guides cover seahorse husbandry under CITES and the protection of seagrasses.