Abstract
One of the most contentious issues on the regime-making process of the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES) is on the concept of "introduction from the sea" and the inclusion on the Appendix I of marine species, especially great whales, thereby constituting institutional linkage between CITES regime and regulations by International Whaling Commission. This paper sheds light on this initiative by the United States as well as the response of Japan, using analytical and conceptual framework of theories of international institutional linkage. It concludes by explaining the consequences of the proposal and considering its implications.
