Dear colleagues; We are having some difficulty convincing (eight years now) the Dutch CITES management authority that scientific institutions can be registered with CITES for exchange/loan of marine mammal materials. For some reason the Dutch CITES folks keep insisting that this exemption ONLY applies to plant materials, despite pretty clear language in the applicable regulation (11.15) which clearly states "RECOGNIZING that this exemption should apply to legally acquired animal and plant specimens that are under the authority of a registered scientific institution;” I have now made some small progress, as they now ask if I can provide examples of registered scientific institutions that exchange marine mammal specimens for scientific purposes. I am aware of some institutions (mainly collaborators), but it probably would help if I can add more. I am therefore hoping for your help, i.e., to let me know if you know any institution(s) registered as a scientific institution with CITES for exchange of marine mammal material. If you tell me which country and the institution name (or registration number) then I can find the remainder information on the CITES web-site. Thank You for your help, Per - -- Per J. Palsbøll Professor of Marine Evolution and Conservation Groningen Institute of Evolutionary Life Sciences University of Groningen Nijenborgh 7 9747 AG Groningen The Netherlands Office phone: +31 50 363 9882 Mobile +31 6 5777 9495 Mail address: PO Box 11103 9700 CC Groningen The Netherlands Adjunct scientist Center for Coastal Studies 5 Holway Avenue, Provincetown, MA 02657, U.S.A. - ---- "How wonderful that we have met with a paradox. Now we have some hope of making progress." As quoted in "Niels Bohr : The Man, His Science, & the World They Changed" (1966) by Ruth Moore, p. 196 - ----