[Congressional Bills 107th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[S. Res. 285 Introduced in Senate (IS)]

  2d Session
S. RES. 285

   Expressing the Sense of the Senate condemning the failure of the 
  International Whaling Commission to recognize the needs of Alaskan 
                                Eskimos.


_______________________________________________________________________


                   IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES

                             June 13, 2002

  Mr. Murkowski (for himself and Mr. Stevens) submitted the following 
  resolution; which was referred to the Committee on Foreign Relations

_______________________________________________________________________

                               RESOLUTION


 
   Expressing the Sense of the Senate condemning the failure of the 
  International Whaling Commission to recognize the needs of Alaskan 
                                Eskimos.

Whereas the International Whaling Commission was founded in 1946 under the 
        International Convention for the Regulation of Whaling, with the purpose 
        of providing for the proper conservation of whale stocks in order to 
        make possible the orderly development of the whaling industry;
Whereas the Commission has explicitly recognized aboriginal subsistence whaling 
        as separate from commercial whaling and has in the past provided quotas 
        for aboriginal subsistence whaling participants from Denmark, the 
        Russian Federation, St. Vincent and The Grenadines, and the United 
        States;
Whereas the Commission has failed to renew the aboriginal subsistence whaling 
        which previously was designated for Alaska Eskimo whalers;
Whereas the Commission's failure to reauthorize quotas for aboriginal 
        subsistence whaling was orchestrated by nations disgruntled by the 
        United States position in opposition to the resumption of commercial 
        whaling and determined to retaliate against legitimate United States 
        interests in aboriginal subsistence whaling;
Whereas aboriginal subsistence whaling has been a mainstay of the culture and 
        livelihood of the Inuit people of Alaska for thousands of years;
Whereas whaling by the Inupiat people of northern Alaska brings significant 
        benefits to every member of the successful villages, where whale meat is 
        shared among all residents;
Whereas the Inupiat people of Alaska have consistently followed responsible 
        management practices in carrying out their whaling activities; and
Whereas the Inupiat people of Alaska have embraced the goal of whale 
        conservation and participated heavily in whale research and monitoring 
        that demonstrates that their subsistence whaling has no adverse effect 
        on the population of bowhead whales, their preferred species: Now, 
        therefore, be it
    Resolved, That it is the sense of the Senate that--
            (1) the failure of the Commission to renew aboriginal 
        whaling quotas is inconsistent with the understandings on which 
        the Commission is based, and jeopardizes the continued 
        existence of the Commission as a meaningful international body; 
        and
            (2) regardless of any current or subsequent action of the 
        Commission, the United States government should take all steps 
        necessary to ensure the continuance of scientifically sound 
        aboriginal subsistence whaling by the Inupiat people of Alaska.
                                 <all>