By YU KOTSUBO/ Staff Writer
February 11, 2022 at 07:00 JST
Hynobius utsunomiyaorum, a salamander species added to the Class II category of animals and plants protected under the endangered species conservation law (Provided by Kanto Nishikawa at Kyoto University)
The Environment Ministry designated 32 animals and plants as endangered species to foil traffickers using online auctions.
They were put on the list of species protected under the Law on Conservation of Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora on Jan. 24.
Twenty-three species of small salamanders and two types of freshwater pearl mussels were added to the Class II category.
Trade in Class II animals and plants is prohibited, although capturing or collecting them for academic research and breeding purposes are exceptionally permitted.
Ministry officials said the designations are aimed at preventing transactions on online auction sites.
In addition to adult salamanders, their eggs captured during the mating season have gone under the hammer.
Freshwater pearl mussels have been traded for breeding fish species known as Japanese bitterling, which use the bivalve to lay eggs.
The Class II category previously covered only three species: the Tokyo salamander, the golden venus chub and the giant water bug.
The Tokyo salamander was listed as a Class II species in 2020 after it was frequently traded on online auction sites. No cases of overhunting have since been reported, according to the Environment Ministry.
In addition to trade, capturing and collection are prohibited for the remaining seven species, including Hynobius katoi, a salamander species, and Saussurea insularis, a plant of the composite family found in Tsushima, Nagasaki Prefecture.
Before the official designations, the Environment Ministry on Dec. 24 asked Yafuoku (Yahoo! Auction) and other online auction site operators to refrain from trade in the 32 species.
Yafuoku announced the same day it would prohibit sales of those species from Dec. 27.
“We made the judgment based on the opinions of the Environment Ministry and experts,” a company representative said.
The ministry plans to consider designating additional animals and plants for protection under the endangered species conservation law.
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