The threat of bycatch has yet to be eliminated, so these guidelines provide a practical tool to minimize its impacts by guiding fishers in the safe release of small cetaceans entangled in their gear, thus decreasing the risk of further injury or stress and increasing the chances of post-release survival.

Wild plant and animal species around the globe are confronted with a variety of threats to their continued survival, including habitat loss, pollution, and poaching. For thousands of species, illegal and unsustainable collection and trade poses a long-standing, consistent threat that remains inadequately addressed. One of the most deep-rooted and complex of these aspects is the international trade in certain species for use in traditional medicines.

The emergence of a large captive tiger population in China is a recent phenomenon, resulting from efforts to develop a new, legal source of tiger parts to meet an enduring domestic demand for tiger parts in traditional Chinese medicine. The United States’ captive Tiger population, by contrast, grew slowly over many years, not for purposes of trade or consumption, but rather because of demand for live cats for exhibitional use, and also to feed a market for people who desire these cats as “pets.”