[Congressional Bills 106th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 3078 Introduced in House (IH)]







106th CONGRESS
  1st Session
                                H. R. 3078

To direct the Secretary of Commerce, acting through the National Marine 
  Fisheries Service, to study the practice of shark finning in United 
States waters of the Central and Western Pacific Ocean and the effects 
   that practice is having on shark populations in the Pacific Ocean.


_______________________________________________________________________


                    IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                            October 14, 1999

 Mr. Faleomavaega introduced the following bill; which was referred to 
                       the Committee on Resources

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 A BILL


 
To direct the Secretary of Commerce, acting through the National Marine 
  Fisheries Service, to study the practice of shark finning in United 
States waters of the Central and Western Pacific Ocean and the effects 
   that practice is having on shark populations in the Pacific Ocean.

    Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the 
United States of America in Congress assembled,

SECTION 1. FINDINGS.

    The Congress finds the following:
            (1) Shark finning is the practice of removing the fins of a 
        shark and disposing of its carcass.
            (2) Shark finning is wasteful, since fins typically 
        comprise only one to five percent of a shark's bodyweight and 
        95 to 99 percent of the shark is disposed of.
            (3) The National Marine Fisheries Service has stated 
        repeatedly that shark finning must be stopped, as it is 
        contrary to the fisheries conservation and management policies 
        of the United States under both domestic and international law. 
        To that end, shark finning is already prohibited in the Federal 
        waters of the Atlantic Ocean, the Gulf of Mexico, and the 
        Caribbean, as well as in the State waters of many coastal 
        States.
            (4) In the Central and Western Pacific Oceans, the number 
        of sharks killed increased by more than 2000 percent between 
        1991 and 1998. Of the more than 60,000 sharks killed in such 
        waters in 1998, more than 98 percent were killed solely for 
        their fins.
            (5) The unique biological characteristics of sharks, 
        including their slow rate of growth, their late sexual 
        maturity, and the small number of offspring born per shark each 
        year, make shark species particularly vulnerable to over-
        fishing.
            (6) The Western Pacific Regional Fishery Management Council 
        and the National Marine Fisheries Service have completed a 
        study of the socio-cultural importance of shark finning in the 
        Western Pacific Ocean.
            (7) Shark finning is of some economic importance to the 
        United States fishing industry in the Central and Western 
        Pacific Ocean.
            (8) There is insufficient scientific data to determine if 
        the current level of shark finning will result in a sustainable 
        fishery.

SEC. 3. STUDY OF SHARK FINNING IN THE CENTRAL AND WESTERN PACIFIC 
              OCEAN.

    (a) Study.--The Secretary of Commerce, acting through the National 
Marine Fisheries Service, shall study the practice of shark finning in 
United States waters of the Central and Western Pacific Ocean and the 
effects that practice is having on shark populations in the Pacific 
Ocean. The study shall include data collection and analysis regarding 
the following:
            (1) The types and number of sharks in United States waters 
        of the Central and Western Pacific Ocean, and whether these 
        numbers are relatively stable or changing significantly.
            (2) The types and number of sharks killed per year in such 
        waters.
            (3) Any trends in current shark finning activity in those 
        waters.
            (4) For each species of shark in such waters, the estimated 
        level of shark kills that would produce the maximum sustainable 
        yield.
            (5) How to best manage shark fisheries in such waters.
    (b) Report.--The Secretary shall report to the Congress the 
findings, conclusions, and recommendations of the study under 
subsection (a) by not later than October 1, 2000.
                                 <all>