[Congressional Bills 105th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H. Res. 470 Introduced in House (IH)]







105th CONGRESS
  2d Session
H. RES. 470

To express the sense of the House of Representatives regarding actions 
 to stop the poaching of valuable marine resources and use of illegal 
                 high seas driftnets in the Bering Sea.


_______________________________________________________________________


                    IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                             June 15, 1998

   Mr. Young of Alaska submitted the following resolution; which was 
                 referred to the Committee on Resources

_______________________________________________________________________

                               RESOLUTION


 
To express the sense of the House of Representatives regarding actions 
 to stop the poaching of valuable marine resources and use of illegal 
                 high seas driftnets in the Bering Sea.

Whereas the number of vessels detected using illegal high seas driftnets has 
        been increasing in recent years;
Whereas salmon fishermen fishing off the coast of Alaska in 1997 noticed an 
        unusual number of net-marked fish returning to their spawning streams;
Whereas United States and Russian fisheries enforcement personnel have 
        intercepted and seized fishing vessels fishing illegally in United 
        States and Russian waters;
Whereas United States fisheries enforcement personnel spotted as many as 5 
        vessels fishing with illegal gear or in territorial waters of Russia 
        without authorization;
Whereas on May 28, 1998, United States fisheries enforcement personnel detected 
        and pursued the Chinese-flagged vessel TAI SHENG for fishing using 
        illegal driftnets estimated to be more than 9 miles long;
Whereas on June 1, 1998, United States fisheries enforcement personnel 
        intercepted and boarded the Chinese-flagged vessel SHAN YU-16 for 
        illegally using driftnets for harvesting salmon;
Whereas on May 26, 1998, fisheries enforcement personnel from the Russian 
        Federal Border Guard Service attempted to inspect and detain a Chinese-
        flagged fishing vessel, ZONG LONG-37, for illegally harvesting fish 
        using high seas driftnets within Russian waters in the Bering Sea;
Whereas the fisheries enforcement personnel of the Russian Federal Border Guard 
        Service made repeated efforts to stop the vessel ZONG LONG-37 for 
        inspection off the Kamchatka Peninsula and those efforts were ignored by 
        the 26-member Chinese crew;
Whereas illegal fishing practices have occurred in the strait separating Russia 
        and the People's Republic of China on many occasions, causing the 
        irreplaceable loss of thousands of valuable fish;
Whereas upon boarding the vessel ZONG LONG-37, the Russians seized 50 tons of 
        illegally caught fish and confiscated nearly 60 miles of driftnet;
Whereas these driftnets, or ``walls of death'', are nearly invisible, miles-long 
        monofilament nets that are placed just below the surface of the open 
        seas for the purpose of entangling fish and other marine resources;
Whereas the best scientific data indicates large-scale high seas driftnets have 
        incidentally killed thousands of endangered sea turtles, hundreds of 
        thousands of marine mammals, and millions of nontargeted fisheries;
Whereas high seas driftnets have been banned on a global basis since June 30, 
        1992, with the adoption of United Nations Resolution 44-225; and
Whereas the Russian Foreign Ministry has stated that the actions of their border 
        guards were fully justified in light of the ``clear infringements of the 
        economic regime and illegal poaching'': Now, therefore, be it
    Resolved, That it is the sense of the House of Representatives 
that--
            (1) the United States and Russian fisheries enforcement 
        agencies and personnel should be commended for maintaining an 
        enforcement presence in the Bering Sea, and for taking the 
        necessary action to stop the poaching of valuable marine 
        resources and use of illegal high seas driftnets in the Bering 
        Sea; and
            (2) this action will send a strong signal to the fishermen 
        of the People's Republic of China and other nations that the 
        illegal use of high seas driftnets will not be tolerated and 
        must stop.
                                 <all>