[Congressional Bills 107th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H. Con. Res. 193 Introduced in House (IH)]







107th CONGRESS
  1st Session
H. CON. RES. 193

To express the sense of the Congress that the Secretary of Commerce and 
  the Secretary of the Interior should direct the representatives of 
 their departments who are members of the United States delegation to 
   the International Whaling Commission to remain diligent in their 
 efforts to protect the ability of Native people of the United States, 
who have been issued quotas by the International Whaling Commission, to 
      continue to legally harvest whales, and for other purposes.


_______________________________________________________________________


                    IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                             July 23, 2001

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

_______________________________________________________________________

                         CONCURRENT RESOLUTION


 
To express the sense of the Congress that the Secretary of Commerce and 
  the Secretary of the Interior should direct the representatives of 
 their departments who are members of the United States delegation to 
   the International Whaling Commission to remain diligent in their 
 efforts to protect the ability of Native people of the United States, 
who have been issued quotas by the International Whaling Commission, to 
      continue to legally harvest whales, and for other purposes.

Whereas the Department of Commerce has the authority and the expertise for the 
        conservation and management of living marine resources;
Whereas the Department of Commerce has the scientific expertise to conserve and 
        manage whale species and is the executive department with the 
        responsibility for gathering scientific information on the status and 
        health of whale populations;
Whereas the Department of the Interior, through the Bureau of Indian Affairs, 
        has the mission to fulfill its trust responsibilities and promote self-
        determination on behalf of tribal governments, Indians, and Alaska 
        Natives;
Whereas many Alaska Natives rely on whales to provide sustenance and to meet 
        their subsistence and cultural needs;
Whereas the International Whaling Commission allocates quotas for the Alaska 
        Native harvest of bowhead whales;
Whereas a representative of the Department of Commerce is the Commissioner for 
        the United States delegation to the International Whaling Commission;
Whereas sound science should guide the decisions of the United States delegation 
        in negotiating positions on resolutions before the International Whaling 
        Commission;
Whereas the concept of marine protected areas has been a topic of much debate in 
        the United States; and
Whereas the Secretary of Commerce currently uses scientific information to 
        determine how marine protected areas should be developed, implemented, 
        and monitored, and uses a transparent public process to designate marine 
        protected areas in the United States: Now, therefore, be it
    Resolved by the House of Representatives (the Senate concurring), 
That it is the sense of Congress that--
            (1) the Secretary of Commerce and the Secretary of the 
        Interior should direct the representatives of their departments 
        who are members of the United States delegation to the 
        International Whaling Commission to remain diligent in their 
        efforts to protect the ability of Native people of the United 
        States who have been issued quotas by the International Whaling 
        Commission to continue to legally harvest whales;
            (2) the Secretary of Commerce and the Secretary of the 
        Interior should instruct their representatives to the United 
        States delegation of the 53d annual meeting of the 
        International Whaling Commission to support positions that are 
        based on sound science;
            (3) the Secretary of Commerce and the Secretary of the 
        Interior should instruct their representatives to the United 
        States delegation of the 53d annual meeting of the 
        International Whaling Commission to oppose designation of the 
        South Pacific Sanctuary or any other large-scale sanctuary 
        until such time as the Scientific Committee of the 
        International Whaling Commission issues scientific guidelines 
        and criteria for the creation of sanctuaries, develops 
        protocols for the monitoring of such sanctuaries, and develops 
        a research program to determine whether sanctuaries meet the 
        goals for which they were created; and
            (4) the Secretary of Commerce and the Secretary of the 
        Interior should instruct their representatives to the United 
        States delegation of the 53d annual meeting of the 
        International Whaling Commission to support speedy completion 
        of any remaining portions of the Revised Management Scheme.
                                 <all>