New York: The UnitedNations-backed body overseeing a global treaty governing trade in endangeredspecies has lifted a year-long ban on beluga caviar after Caspian Sea countries agreed to reduce the catch quota.

The move by the Secretariat of the Convention on International Trade inEndangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES) follows the lifting of theban on other types of caviar, with a quota 15 per cent below that of 2005.

The 2006 ban was imposed when the five Caspian countries - Azerbaijan, Iran,Kazakhstan, Russia and Turkmenistan -failed to provideinformation needed to ensure the fish's survival.

The small quotas reflect the population trend of the species. According toinformation presented by the Caspian States, population of the species continueto fall.

Consequently, the Secretariat will be immediately referring the matter to theCITES Animals Committee, which has been given the authority by the 169 CITESMember States to undertake reviews of the sustainability of trade authorizedunder CITES rules.

"The Caspian States have stepped up their efforts to control the caviartrade and to release millions of young fish into the sea, but the decline inpopulations cannot be allowed to continue," CITES Secretary-General WillemWijnstekers said.