Seal sporrans

**Dukeof Kircaldy** · 7th November 08, 08:13 PM

Thanks Wompet, that's the best info so far.

For those not in the know, The genus Arctocephalus consists of eight of the nine species of fur seal. On the other hand, there are other genus of seals:
* Genus Arctocephalus
* Genus Callorhinus
* Genus Eumetopias
* Genus Neophoca
* Genus Otaria
* Genus Phocarctos
* Genus Zalophus

along with the family Phocidae: true seals

One of these sporrans is made with Phoca vitulina which is not in the CITES database

Anyway, this is from a service that expedites imports:

* Importers are responsible for knowing the contents of the products they import. U. S. Fish and Wildlife requires the scientific name (Genus and Species) and the Country of Origin (C/O) for all wildlife contained in medicines or parts of such wildlife. With this information, importers can contact their local U. S. Fish and Wildlife office of law enforcement with questions concerning prohibited wildlife and document requirements. For information contact the U. S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Division of Law Enforcement at 310-328-6307.

The following import procedures and guidelines will be followed at the Port of Los Angeles regarding the clearance of fish and wildlife imports.

U. S. FISH & WILDLIFE SERVICE ENTRY PACKAGE:

The entry package must include the following documents for shipments clearing U. S. Fish & Wildlife Service at the Port of Los Angeles.

* Import Declaration Form 3-177 (1 original and 3 copies)
* All ORIGINAL foreign export permits
* Copy of U. S. Customs Form 3461, if applicable
* Copy of air waybill or bill of lading
* Copy of commercial invoices and packing list
* Copy of any other pertinent documents (APHIS permits, health certification, etc.)
* Inspection Fee check payable to DOI, U. S. Fish and wildlife Service or credit card may be used by the required Import/Export licensee. The entry package should be presented to the U. S. Fish & Wildlife Service at 370 Amapola Ave., Suite 114, Torrance, CA. Entries are accepted Monday thru Friday from 8:00 am to 12:00 pm and 1:00 pm to 4:00 pm. Tel: 310-328-6307 Fax: 310-328-6399

Which again gets back to my question, is the sporran importable if the seal comes from a species that is not in the CITES database?

Also, the same question if the sporran is coming from Scotland which doesn't have any CITES listed seals? For that matter the EU (Britain being a part of the EU) seems to have a ban on importing seal products.

Although as Wompet points out, which I did as well, if USFWS decides that the seal is not importable, then it is not importable.

Another reiteration on what Wompet just said, CITES can cause a lot of paperwork and headache.

**JS Sanders** · 7th November 08, 08:49 PM

<< Gary - Customs & Border Protection, Agriculture Quarantine Inspections >>

Looks like we found our go-to guy for importation questions.

Slan,
steve

**ThistleDown** · 7th November 08, 09:36 PM

Don't you just love this forum? Amazing knowledge and wonderful resources to call upon.

**Dukeof Kircaldy** · 8th November 08, 05:19 AM

Definitely, Gary has the answers.

The major problem is that any federal law has so many regs and executive orders that it gets confusing. So, you need to go the the agency to get answers.

Also, my question runs toward importing a single sporran and what paperwork is necessary.

**Wompet** · 8th November 08, 10:57 AM

Originally Posted by Dukeof Kircaldy

For those not in the know, The genus Arctocephalus consists of eight of the nine species of fur seal. On the other hand, there are other genus of seals:
* Genus Arctocephalus fur seals - CITES I & II
* Genus Callorhinus fur seals - non-CITES
* Genus Eumetopias
* Genus Neophoca
* Genus Otaria
* Genus Phocarctos
* Genus Zalophus

along with the family Phocidae: true seals

One of these sporrans is made with Phoca vitulina which is not in the CITES database
...
Which again gets back to my question, is the sporran importable if the seal comes from a species that is not in the CITES database?

Also, the same question if the sporran is coming from Scotland which doesn't have any CITES listed seals? For that matter the EU (Britain being a part of the EU) seems to have a ban on importing seal products.

Phoca vitulina can be harvested legally in the UK (Conservation of Seals Act, 1970) and they are not considered endangered by the USFWS, so legal importation should be possible.

Just taking a quick look at the entry package:

The entry package must include the following documents for shipments clearing U. S. Fish & Wildlife Service at the Port of Los Angeles.

* Import Declaration Form 3-177 (1 original and 3 copies) These shouldn't be necessary for a personal shipment.
* All ORIGINAL foreign export permits The shipper ought to provide a copy of this.
* Copy of U. S. Customs Form 3461, if applicable The Royal Mail customs declaration on the outside of the package should be sufficient.
* Copy of air waybill or bill of lading Yes
* Copy of commercial invoices and packing list Yes
* Copy of any other pertinent documents (APHIS permits, health certification, etc.) The shipper must certify that the skin came from a non-endangered, legally harvested and exported animal (identified in binomial nomenclature to species).
* Inspection Fee check payable to DOI, U. S. Fish and wildlife Service or credit card may be used by the required Import/Export licensee. The entry package should be presented to the U. S. Fish & Wildlife Service $90 USD, if collected

I think that would do it, though there are a few too many "should"s in there for my personal comfort level.

**SingleBarrelBourbon** · 8th November 08, 06:11 PM

My daughter is currently with US Customs as an inspector at Miami International Airport. I will ask her this weekend for the current information.

Cheers,
Don

**Dukeof Kircaldy** · 10th November 08, 05:35 AM

You don't need a lawyer here, you need a regulatory specialist!

**Wompet** · 12th November 08, 06:29 PM

Alright - I'm at work so I'll have to make this quick.

I talked ot the local USFWS inspector today, and her answer was:

Even though Phoca sp. is not endangered, they do fall under the Marine Mammals Protection Act, so new products cannot be imported.
Because eBay is involved, these would be considered commercial entries (no matter the size or cost of the shipment), so all of the regulations that we've already discussed would apply.

Now, she did state that if the sporran was a heritage item (family heirloom or the like), and the owner presented a certified letter stating such, then he would be allowed to keep it.
(She actually used the example of ivory on bagpipes, but the principle is the same.)

So - now that we've got the facts straight from the horse's mouth, who wants to tell eBay that this seller is making false claims?

(Or at the bare minimum, let everyone here know not to buy from them.)

**McMurdo** · 12th November 08, 06:36 PM

Originally Posted by Wompet

So - now that we've got the facts straight from the horse's mouth, who wants to tell eBay that this seller is making false claims?

(Or at the bare minimum, let everyone here know not to buy from them.)

Actually that should read:

let every US Citizen know not to buy from them.

The above brought to you by your friendly neighbourhood Canadian.

**Carolina Kiltman** · 12th November 08, 07:38 PM

Originally Posted by McMurdo

Actually that should read:

let every US Citizen know not to buy from them.

The above brought to you by your friendly neighbourhood Canadian.

Thanks! I have to keep reminding some of my fellow Yanks, that Canada is NOT the 51st state! OTH, having a Brother-in-Law, and a Brother who have lived there, I can appreciate the good points. (We all have our stupidities of Govt. regulations tho, just different ones.