Seal sporrans

[Dukeof Kircaldy]

OK, the common wisdom is that seal fur can't be imported into the United States. But I saw one eBay seller has the following on his seal sporran descriptions:

THIS SPORRAN IS APPROVED BY US CUSTOMS AND CAN BE SENT ABROAD EASILY.

Anyway, my specialty is criminal law. So, I was hoping somebody could illuminate me on this topic and correct any errors in my research.

Also, one site said the US's seal importation ban was contrary to the WTO.

What exactly is the actual importation status of seal products to the United States? I am asking because I see that Title 16, Chapter 5 Protection Of Fur Seals And Other Fur-bearing Animals appears to be repealed.

http://uscode.house.gov/download/pls/16C5.txt
http://www.law.cornell.edu/uscode/ht...1_16_10_5.html

Of course, any interpretation of this needs to be taken in consideration of Title 16, Chapter 35, the Endangered Species Act, but are any species of seals considered Endangered Species?

This is the response I received from US customs:

From: "Customer Service Center <customs@customs-mail.custhelp.com>"
<customs@customs-mail.custhelp.com>
Subject: What is the actual importation status of seal products to the United
States? ... [Incident: 081106-000085]
To: michael


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Subject
What is the actual importation status of seal products to the United States? ...

Discussion Thread
Response (Steve)11/07/2008 09:28 AM
Endangered species, CITES, endangered wildlife, plants, exotic skins, animals; Answer The United States is a party in the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora, commonly known as CITES. This treaty regulates trade in endangered species of wildlife, plants and their products.International trade in species listed by CITES is illegal unless authorized by permit. Items prohibited by CITES include, but are not limited to, articles made from whale teeth, ivory, tortoise shell, reptile, fur skins, coral, and birds.Permits to import into or export from the United States and reexport certificates are issued by the Office of Management Authority of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.Information on wildlife and plants, including lists of endangered species, may be obtained from that agency. Since hours of service and availability of officers from the other agencies involved may vary from port to port, you are strongly urged to check with your anticipated port of arrival before importing goods covered by CITES. This will assure expeditious processing and reduce the possibility of unnecessary delays.
Customer11/06/2008 11:44 AM
What is the actual importation status of seal products to the United States? I am asking because I see that Title 16, Chapter 5 Protection Of Fur Seals And Other Fur-bearing Animals appears to be repealed.http://uscode.house.gov/download/pls...16_10_5.htmlOf course, any interpretation of this needs to be taken in consideration of Title 16, Chapter 35, the Endangered Species Act, but are any species of seals considered Endangered Species?
Auto-Response11/06/2008 11:44 AM
Title: Endangered species, CITES, endangered wildlife, plants, exotic skins, animals;Link: http://help.cbp.gov/cgi-bin/customs....43364936Title: How do I import wood into the United States?Link: http://help.cbp.gov/cgi-bin/customs....03648882Title: Pets - birdsLink: http://help.cbp.gov/cgi-bin/customs....43364936Title: Pets and wildlife, general informationLink: http://help.cbp.gov/cgi-bin/customs....43364936Title: How do I import livestock?Link: http://help.cbp.gov/cgi-bin/customs....ted=1043364935

Question Reference #081106-000085
Topic Level 1: Requirements for Importing Certain Goods
Topic Level 2: Animal Products
Category Level 1: Importers
Category Level 2: Personal Use
Date Created: 11/06/2008 11:44 AM

So, the upshot of this is: are seal sporrans importable if they are not from one of the endangered species listed by CITES: the the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora, which is the body that list endangered species which cannot be imported and exported without permit.

http://www.cites.org/eng/resources/species.html

This appears to be the case from what I am seeing!

Anybody with more experience in this field want to correct me if this is a wrong interpretation, or am I correct that non-CITES seal sporrans are importable into the US?