[Congressional Bills 105th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H. Res. 425 Introduced in House (IH)]







105th CONGRESS
  2d Session
H. RES. 425

  Expressing the sense of the House of Representatives regarding the 
     policy of the United States at the 50th Annual meeting of the 
                   International Whaling Commission.


_______________________________________________________________________


                    IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                              May 7, 1998

 Mr. Metcalf submitted the following resolution; which was referred to 
                the Committee on International Relations

_______________________________________________________________________

                               RESOLUTION


 
  Expressing the sense of the House of Representatives regarding the 
     policy of the United States at the 50th Annual meeting of the 
                   International Whaling Commission.

Whereas whales have very low reproductive rates, making whale populations 
        extremely vulnerable to pressure from commercial whaling;
Whereas whales migrate throughout the world's oceans and international 
        cooperation is required to successfully conserve and protect whale 
        stocks;
Whereas in 1946 the nations of the world adopted the International Convention 
        for the Regulation of Whaling, which established the International 
        Whaling Commission to provide for the proper conservation of whale 
        stocks;
Whereas the Commission adopted a moratorium on commercial whaling in 1982 in 
        order to conserve and promote the recovery of whale stocks;
Whereas the Commission has designated the Indian Ocean and the ocean waters 
        around Antarctica as whale sanctuaries to further enhance the recovery 
        of whale stocks;
Whereas many nations of the world have designated waters under their 
        jurisdiction as whale sanctuaries where the commercial killing of whales 
        is prohibited, and additional regional whale sanctuaries have been 
        proposed by nations that are members of the Commission;
Whereas 2 member nations of the Commission have taken a reservation to the 
        Commission's moratorium on commercial whaling and have recently resumed 
        commercial whaling operations in spite of the moratorium and the 
        protests of other nations;
Whereas another member nation of the Commission has taken a reservation to the 
        Commission's Southern Ocean Sanctuary and continues to conduct lethal 
        scientific whaling in the waters of that sanctuary;
Whereas the Commission's scientific committee has repeatedly expressed serious 
        concerns about the scientific need for such lethal whaling;
Whereas the lethal take of whales under reservations to the Commission's 
        policies has been increasing annually;
Whereas there continue to be indications that whale meat is being traded on the 
        international market despite a ban on such trade under the Convention on 
        International Trade in Endangered Species (CITES), and that the meat may 
        be originating in one of the member nations of the Commission; and
Whereas 1998 is the International Year of the Ocean and the Commission plays a 
        leading role in global efforts to improve the state of the world's 
        oceans: Now, therefore, be it
    Resolved, That it is the sense of the House of Representatives 
that--
            (1) at the 50th annual meeting of the International Whaling 
        Commission in Oman the United States should--
                    (A) remain firmly opposed to any resumption of 
                commercial whaling;
                    (B) initiate and support efforts at the Commission 
                to ensure that all activities conducted under 
                reservations to the Commission's moratorium or whale 
                sanctuaries are ceased;
                    (C) oppose the lethal taking of whales for 
                scientific purposes unless such lethal taking is 
                specifically authorized by the scientific committee of 
                the Commission;
                    (D) seek the Commission's support for specific 
                efforts by member nations to end illegal trade in whale 
                meat; and
                    (E) support the permanent protection of whale 
                populations through the establishment of whale 
                sanctuaries in which the commercial killing of whales 
                is prohibited; and
            (2) make full use of all appropriate diplomatic mechanisms, 
        relevant international laws and agreements, and other 
        appropriate mechanisms to implement the goals set forth in 
        paragraph (1).
                                 <all>