[Congressional Bills 108th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H. Res. 727 Introduced in House (IH)]






108th CONGRESS
  2d Session
H. RES. 727

  Expressing the sense of the House of Representatives regarding the 
     policy of the United States at the 56th Annual Meeting of the 
                   International Whaling Commission.


_______________________________________________________________________


                    IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                             July 19, 2004

  Mr. Delahunt (for himself, Mr. Greenwood, Mr. Blumenauer, Mr. Case, 
 Mrs. Christensen, Mrs. Davis of California, Mr. Doggett, Mr. English, 
 Mr. Farr, Mr. Frank of Massachusetts, Mr. Grijalva, Mr. Hinchey, Mr. 
Holden, Mr. Kucinich, Ms. Lee, Mrs. Maloney, Mr. Markey, Mrs. McCarthy 
of New York, Mr. McGovern, Mr. George Miller of California, Mr. Nadler, 
   Mr. Neal of Massachusetts, Ms. Norton, Mr. Olver, Mr. Rahall, Mr. 
   Renzi, Mr. Stark, Mrs. Tauscher, Mr. Van Hollen, Mr. Wexler, Mr. 
 Berman, and Mr. Evans) 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 56th Annual Meeting of the 
                   International Whaling Commission.

Whereas whales have very low reproductive rates, making many whale populations 
        extremely vulnerable to pressure from commercial whaling;
Whereas because whales migrate throughout the world's oceans, international 
        cooperation is necessary to successfully conserve and protect whale 
        stocks;
Whereas in 1946, a significant number of countries 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 in 2003, the Commission established a Conservation Committee, made up of 
        all members of the Commission, for the purpose of facilitating efficient 
        and effective coordination and development of the Commission's 
        conservation recommendations and activities, which are fully consistent 
        with the conservation objectives stated in the 1946 Convention;
Whereas the Commission adopted a moratorium on commercial whaling in 1982 in 
        order to conserve and promote the recovery of whale stocks, many of 
        which had been hunted to near extinction by the commercial whaling 
        industry;
Whereas the Commission designated the Indian Ocean and the ocean waters around 
        Antarctica as whale sanctuaries to further enhance the recovery of whale 
        stocks;
Whereas many countries have designated waters under their jurisdiction as whale 
        sanctuaries where commercial whaling is prohibited, and additional 
        regional whale sanctuaries have been proposed by nations that are 
        members of the Commission;
Whereas 2 member nations currently have reservations to the Commission's 
        moratorium on commercial whaling, and one member nation is currently 
        conducting commercial whaling operations in spite of the moratorium and 
        the protests of other nations;
Whereas the Commission has adopted several resolutions at recent meetings asking 
        member nations to halt commercial whaling activities conducted under 
        reservations to the moratorium and to refrain from issuing special 
        permits for research involving the killing of whales;
Whereas one member nation of the Commission has made a reservation to the 
        Commission's Southern Ocean Sanctuary and continues to conduct 
        unnecessary lethal scientific whaling in the waters of the sanctuary and 
        in the North Pacific Ocean;
Whereas whale meat and blubber taken from whales killed pursuant to such 
        unnecessary lethal scientific whaling is sold commercially, which 
        further undermines the moratorium on commercial whaling;
Whereas the Commission's Scientific Committee has repeatedly expressed serious 
        concerns about the scientific need for such lethal research and 
        recognizes the importance of demonstrating and expanding the use of non-
        lethal scientific research methods;
Whereas last year one member nation unsuccessfully sought an exemption that 
        would have allowed commercial whaling of up to 150 minke whales and 150 
        Bryde's whales, contrary to the moratorium and without review by the 
        Scientific Committee, and continues to seek avenues to allow the lethal 
        taking of whales by vessels from specific communities in a manner that 
        would undermine the moratorium on commercial whaling;
Whereas more than 8,500 whales have been killed in lethal scientific whaling 
        programs since the adoption of the commercial whaling moratorium, and 
        the lethal taking of whales under scientific permits has increased both 
        in quantity and species, and now includes minke, Bryde's, sei, and sperm 
        whales; and
Whereas both commercial whaling carried out under reservations to international 
        agreements and lethal scientific whaling undermine the conservation 
        program of the Commission: Now, therefore be it
    Resolved, That it is the sense of the House of Representatives 
that--
            (1) at the 56th Annual Meeting of the International Whaling 
        Commission the United States should--
                    (A) remain firmly opposed to commercial whaling;
                    (B) support the purposes and functions of the 
                Conservation Committee, which provides a system for 
                ensuring good governance of the Commission's 
                conservation activities;
                    (C) initiate and support efforts to stop all 
                activities conducted under reservations to the 
                Commission's moratorium on commercial whaling or whale 
                sanctuaries;
                    (D) oppose the unnecessary lethal taking of whales 
                for scientific purposes, seek support for expanding the 
                use of non-lethal research methods, and work to end the 
                sale of whale meat and blubber from whales killed for 
                unnecessary lethal scientific research;
                    (E) seek the Commission's support for specific 
                efforts by member nations to end the trade in whale 
                meat;
                    (F) support the permanent protection of whale 
                populations through the establishment of additional 
                whale sanctuaries in which commercial whaling is 
                prohibited; and
                    (G) support efforts to expand the collection of 
                data on whale populations, monitor and reduce whale 
                bycatch and other incidental impacts, and otherwise 
                expand whale conservation efforts; and
            (2) the United States should make full use of all 
        appropriate diplomatic mechanisms, relevant international laws 
        and agreements, and other appropriate means to implement the 
        policies set forth in paragraph (1).
                                 <all>