Palau’s CITES obligations put giant clam exports in focus

By: Summer Kennard

KOROR, Palau (October 1, 2026) — “Without the international market and trade, the value of our clam industry will plummet,” a Palau giant clam farmer said, underscoring the economic stakes as the government works to finalize legislation formally establishing Palau’s legal framework for the international wildlife trade convention.

Palau’s giant clam farmers and exporters continue to operate under permitting requirements of the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora, or CITES, while national legislation to formally establish the country’s legal framework for the convention remains under review.

At the same time, Delegate Sebastian Marino is proposing changes to the domestic management of wild giant clams that would give state governments a greater role in regulating the harvesting of certain species.

CITES regulates international trade in listed wildlife and plant species to help ensure that such trade does not threaten their survival.

For Palau’s giant clam farmers, CITES is both a conservation requirement and a condition affecting access to international markets.

Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Environment Steven Victor said Palau has been implementing CITES regulations for years, including requiring permits for exports of listed species. However, national legislation specifically establishing Palau’s legal framework for CITES is still being reviewed by the Attorney General’s Office.

“We have to report what we export every year,” Victor said. “We’ve provided those updates, so we’re in compliance now until we pass the legislation.”

Victor said the legislation was drafted with assistance from a group from New Zealand and is now under review to clarify the roles and responsibilities of the government agencies involved.

After the Attorney General’s Office completes its review, the legislation would be submitted to the Olbiil Era Kelulau for consideration.

Permits remain required

In the meantime, Palau continues to require CITES permits for exports of listed species.

“Anybody who wants to sell anything out of Palau that is listed has to obtain a permit, otherwise they cannot sell,” Victor said.

Giant clams are among the CITES-listed species regularly exported from Palau. Victor said only cultured giant clams can be exported.

Other CITES-related exports from Palau include corals for research and native orchids.

The permitting system means farmers and exporters dealing in regulated species must meet documentation and approval requirements before products can leave the country.

For the giant clam industry, access to international markets is particularly important because the market extends beyond Palau’s relatively small domestic economy.

A local farmer who operates Polycarp’s Green Tide Farms and has farmed giant clams for more than 10 years said international trade is essential to the industry’s financial sustainability.

“Without the international market and trade, the value of our clam industry will plummet,” the farmer said. “International trade means more rewards to farmers.”

The farmer also said CITES implementation can benefit producers by helping protect cultured and wild resources from illegal harvesting and trade.

“CITES implementation is important to prevent over exploitation of our resources, and reduce black market and poaching sales,” the farmer said. “In addition, CITES benefits us farmers because it helps us build our clientele and offer more opportunities for markets all across the globe.”

Farmers and exporters

Bernice Ngirkelau, a member of the Palau Aquaculture Alliance and proprietor of Blue-Link Palau, works with local and international farmers and processes and sells products from clam farmers for both local sale and export.

Ngirkelau said she knows of about 72 active giant clam farmers in Palau, although she believes the actual number could be higher. She estimated that six or more licensed clam exporters are currently operating.

“I sell products from the farmers. I retail them locally or export,” Ngirkelau said.

The industry therefore depends on a system that can protect clam populations while allowing legally cultured products to reach overseas customers.

States seek greater role in wild clam management

Separate from the national CITES legislation, Marino is seeking to strengthen domestic management of wild giant clams through a proposed bill covering the harvesting of specified giant clam species.

The bill would allow state governments to establish permitting systems and regulate harvesting within their jurisdictions. It would also allow states to establish harvesting seasons, size limits and designated areas where harvesting could be restricted.

Marino said the proposal is intended to give states a greater role in protecting clam resources while allowing them to benefit economically from sustainable management.

“Although it doesn’t mention CITES specifically, but the intent is there,” Marino said of existing conservation laws.

He said the proposed legislation is based in part on concerns over declining clam populations in areas accessible to the public.

“Over time we’ve seen the depletion of clam species,” Marino said. “I do fishing a lot. I’m a diver. I do spearfishing a lot. And during my lifetime I see the depletion of clam species in coastal areas.”

Marino said increasing tourism has added pressure to clam populations.

“Somehow, the increase of tourism here in Palau puts so much pressure on clam species,” he said. “And the demand by the tourism industry on clams is increasing every single day.”

Under the proposal, states could determine when and where harvesting would be allowed and establish measures intended to give clam populations time to replenish.

“So by doing this regulation, giving the state the power to regulate them and manage them,” Marino said, “it’s not just only to conserve the species itself, but also giving the opportunity for state government to gain economic benefits.”

States could issue permits, establish harvesting seasons and size requirements, and designate areas closed to harvesting.

The goal would be to prevent harvesting from exceeding the species’ ability to reproduce.

“So to continue to replenish that species so that harvesting doesn’t outpace the reproduction,” Marino said. “So it does matter to Palau in terms of sustainability of all these species to thrive moving forward.”

Marino also connected the proposed domestic management measures to Palau’s obligations under CITES.

“CITES gives us that one protection,” he said. “So now we’re proposing laws implementing CITES in terms of sustainable management of these species.”

Potential trade implications

For now, Victor said businesses and researchers moving CITES-listed specimens across Palau’s borders are not facing an immediate disruption while the national legislation is being finalized.

But he said completing the legislation is important to maintaining Palau’s ability to participate in international trade involving regulated species.

“If we are not compliant, then that means we won’t be able to send regulated species outside,” Victor said. “Which would essentially stop whatever we can export.”

For farmers and exporters, the issue therefore involves both conservation and market access.

CITES requirements are intended to prevent international trade from threatening protected species, while Palau’s emerging domestic framework would determine how conservation responsibilities are carried out nationally and, under Marino’s proposal, at the state level.

For the giant clam industry, maintaining that balance could determine whether farmers continue to have access to international customers while Palau protects its clam resources for future generations.