#cites

#cites

"The wildlife that Bied unlawfully imported and conspired to import was protected by the Endangered Species Act as well as [CITES]," the office of U.S. Attorney for Massachusetts Leah B. Foley said. Adam Bied, 40, bought, sold, and traded the endangered animal parts from 2018 to 2021, knowing his transactions violated U.S. laws and regulations, according to federal prosecutors. The Reading resident worked with other traffickers based in Cameroon and Indonesia to obtain the parts, and neither sought nor obtained the proper USDWS licenses or CITES permits, Foley's office said.

Eels are the stuff of nightmares - slimy, snakelike creatures that lay millions of eggs before dying so their offspring can return home to rivers and streams. They've existed since the time of the dinosaurs, and some species are more poorly understood than those ancient animals. Yet they're also valuable seafood fish that are declining all over the world, leading to a new push for restrictions on trade to help stave off extinction.