Although widely regarded as the go-to for comprehensive wildlife trade data (Eskew et al., 2020; Watters et al., 2022), short comings of the US Fish & Wildlife (USFWS) Law Enforcement Management Information System (LEMIS) have been noted for decades (GAO, 1994; Reaser & Waugh, 2007). Most recently, Weissgold (2024) recommended measures to improve LEMIS quality controls necessary for accurate scientific interpretation and policy application. The temptation to improve LEMIS for such aims is laudable yet inconsistent with its intended function. LEMIS is a law enforcement information system managed by law enforcement staff. It was never envisioned as a platform for advancing scientific goals and it is unlikely to be reprogrammed for such purpose due to limitations of authority and administration. There is substantial need to improve LEMIS data quality to better its regulatory function. Consequently, this can improve scientific application potential, but substantial analytical limits will remain.

LEMIS data are a subset of the multiagency data relative to US wildlife importation. Consistent with the whole of government, science-based approach promulgated by the Executive Office of the President (e.g., The White House, 2024), the United States urgently needs to establish an Interagency Wildlife Trade Data System (IWTDS) to meet priority scientific and policy goals across the environmental, food security, and human health sectors. Calls for such a system have been made by the government accounting officers (GAO, 2010, 2023) and interagency bodies (e.g., Reaser et al., 2020) for decades.

Wildlife trade data are a fundamental resource for preventing species endangerment as well as mitigating invasive species and zoonotic disease risks. Ideally, IWTDS would be administered by a team of information officers with substantial scientific credentials who collectively serve the six federal agencies that have authorities relative to the US trade in live wildlife and/or derivatives: Customs and Border Protection (Department of Homeland Security), USFWS (Department of the Interior), Animal Health and Inspection Service (Department of Agriculture), Centers for Disease Control (Health and Human Services), the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (Department of Commerce), and the Food and Drug Administration.

In order to facilitate interagency wildlife import data collection, access, management, and analyses, IWTDS policies, standards, formats, and protocols must: (1) enable interoperability of agency-specific trade data platforms; (2) allow for direct access by certified agency personnel; (3) integrate an alert system that informs the agencies when and where a wildlife species under their authority is anticipated to enter the United States; (4) establish a shared directory of terms and codes; (5) harmonize terms, codes, and data formats as feasible; (6) utilize applications that autoenter and autoassess data cells to achieve a high degree of data quality with efficiency; and (7) require an annual data audit, cleaning, and reporting process that leads to system improvements where necessary.

IWTDS could be further enhanced to meet varying agency science and policy needs by (1) supporting the system with software that facilitates and standardizes data analytics and (2) tagging and coding individual species in accordance with regulatory mechanisms and risk assessment rankings. To improve zoonoses risk mitigation, shipment data could be linked to quarantine pathogen test results and an automated interagency alert system for high-concern pathogen detection. A more technically sound LEMIS database would be an integral part of IWTDS.

尽管被广泛认为是综合野生动物贸易数据的首选（Eskew 等人，2020 年；Watters 等人，2022 年），但美国鱼类和野生动物 (USFWS) 执法管理信息系统 (LEMIS) 的缺点一直存在几十年来一直受到关注（GAO，1994；Reaser & Waugh，2007）。最近，Weissgold (2024) 建议采取措施改善 LEMIS 质量控制，这是准确的科学解释和政策应用所必需的。为了实现这些目标而改进 LEMIS 的诱惑是值得称赞的，但与其预期功能不符。 LEMIS 是由执法人员管理的执法信息系统。它从未被设想为推进科学目标的平台，并且由于权限和管理的限制，它不太可能为此目的而重新编程。迫切需要提高 LEMIS 数据质量以改善其监管功能。因此，这可以提高科学应用潜力，但仍然存在很大的分析限制。

LEMIS 数据是与美国野生动物进口相关的多机构数据的子集。与总统行政办公室颁布的整个政府、基于科学的方法一致（例如，白宫，2024），美国迫切需要建立一个跨机构野生动物贸易数据系统（IWTDS），以满足优先科学和环境、粮食安全和人类健康领域的政策目标。几十年来，政府会计官员（GAO，2010，2023）和跨部门机构（例如，Reaser 等，2020）一直呼吁建立这样的系统。

野生动物贸易数据是防止物种濒危以及减轻入侵物种和人畜共患疾病风险的基本资源。理想情况下，IWTDS 将由具有丰富科学资历的信息官员团队管理，他们共同服务于拥有与美国活体野生动物和/或衍生物贸易相关权力的六个联邦机构：海关和边境保护局（国土安全部）、 USFWS（内政部）、动物健康和检验局（农业部）、疾病控制中心（健康与人类服务部）、国家海洋和大气管理局（商务部）以及食品和药物管理局。

为了促进机构间野生动物进口数据的收集、访问、管理和分析，IWTDS 政策、标准、格式和协议必须： (1) 实现机构特定贸易数据平台的互操作性； (2) 允许经过认证的机构人员直接访问； (3) 整合警报系统，通知各机构其管辖下的野生动物物种预计何时何地进入美国； （4）建立术语和代码共享目录； (5) 尽可能协调术语、代码和数据格式； (6) 利用自动输入和自动评估数据单元的应用程序来高效地实现高度的数据质量； (7) 要求进行年度数据审计、清理和报告流程，以便在必要时改进系统。

可以通过以下方式进一步增强 IWTDS，以满足不同机构的科学和政策需求：(1) 使用促进和标准化数据分析的软件支持系统，以及 (2) 根据监管机制和风险评估排名对单个物种进行标记和编码。为了改善人畜共患病风险缓解，运输数据可以与检疫病原体检测结果和用于高度关注病原体检测的自动机构间警报系统联系起来。技术上更完善的 LEMIS 数据库将成为 IWTDS 的一个组成部分。