How to Submit GMAD Information to UNEP-WCMC

Q1: What data are needed?
For ALL species of marine ornamentals (e.g., fish, corals and other invertebrates), please submit records of:

1. Species names
2. Number of this species sold (split into adults and juveniles, if possible)
3. Year of sale(s)
4. Country of origin (usually a single country for exporters and multiple countries for importers)
5. Destination country (usually multiple countries for exporters and a single country for importers)

Information on price or cost data is NOT required.

Q2: How can we deliver these data to UNEP-WCMC?
The best (quickest and easiest) way for UNEP-WCMC to receive data, and presumably for you to provide it, would be as electronic files. The exact form of these files would depend largely on the way in which you already keep records of your sales. A spreadsheet would be ideal. Each row would refer to the total number of a species sold in one year (= a sales record by item). Data would be distributed across the following columns:

1. Species name
2. Number of this species sold as adults
3. Number of this species sold as juveniles
4. Year of sale
5. Country of origin
6. Destination country

If you use a system of common names (instead of scientific names), these will be converted to standard scientific names, based principally on FishBase (http://www.FishBase.org/). Companies can help in carrying out this conversion by providing a copy of their species catalog. If you do not have a specific catalog, then a list of common names matched to scientific names would be needed to clarify the exact species your company is referring to when referring to a particular species, e.g., the “yellow tang.”

The example spreadsheet below includes fictional data for the import of 500 adult and 1,250 juvenile Zebrasoma flavescens from the Philippines and 100 adult and 250 juveniles of the same species from Indonesia in 1998. The spreadsheet can be downloaded here.

If you do not keep electronic records of your imports, you must work directly from paper. You may wish to enter the sales records yourselves into an MS Excel spreadsheet, like the one attached.

Alternatively you could copy your paper records and send them to UNEP-WCMC. Staff there will enter the data into a database and destroy the paper records when finished. This would save you the time and trouble of entering your sales records.

UNEP-WCMC can accommodate any method that is acceptable to you and does not cause you too much inconvenience.

Data from 1999, 2000 and 2001 would be the most valuable. Of course data from other years would be very welcome, but ithe most recent data would be best.

Q3: What are the conditions of use for these data?

All the data provided by companies is held in complete confidence in a secure database. Only four members of the UNEP-WCMC staff have access to this database, which is protected by state of the art protection against any possible intrusion. If paper records are provided, the data will be entered into the electronic database and the paper records will be destroyed. You will be informed when this has been carried out. Company-specific records are kept in the database in case there are unforeseen queries that require contacting individual companies in the future. However, no company-specific information will be made public.

Only country or continent specific information will be released, such as:

• the number of Zebrasoma flavescens exported from the Philippines to Europe between 1998 and 1999
• the number of Zebrasoma flavescens exported from Indonesia to Europe between 1997 and 1998
• and likewise for other species.

Contributors to GMAD will receive complementary copies of all reports based on the data.

Generic Data Document
A generic data agreement (download here) has been developed to formalize the data sharing agreement between UNEP-WCMC and the companies that have provided their sales records so far. This covers any issue or query that you might have. UNEP-WCMC can customize the agreement to meet your own needs in any way. If the generic agreement is acceptable to you then please contact Dr. Ed Green, and he will send you two copies signed by himself, one for you to retain and the other for you to sign and return to him. Alternatively, you may print off the following document (download here), complete the details requested and fax it back to Dr. Green at UNEP-WCMC on +44 1223 277136. He will sign the faxed document and fax it back to you for your records.