Acting Secretary for the Environment of Hong Kong Kitty Poon Wednesday said there were 69 successful prosecutions related to illegal import of endangered species in the first 11 months of 2009.

Poon told lawmakers on Wednesday that the numbers of prosecutions were 73 and 61 for 2007 and 2008 respectively and reiterated the government's commitment to the protection of endangered species and implementation of the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora.

The convention's Conference of the Parties will consider in March the listing of other shark species, including the International Union for Conservation of Nature-listed threatened shark species, including the scalloped hammerhead, said Poon.

She said the government will closely follow the international control as required by the convention on the trade in endangered species. Species listed in the convention appendices at the Conference of the Parties will be put under the control of the ordinance accordingly.

Illegal import of endangered species warrants two years' jail and a 5-million U.S. dollar fine.

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