[Congressional Bills 108th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[S. Con. Res. 55 Introduced in Senate (IS)]







108th CONGRESS
  1st Session
S. CON. RES. 55

Expressing the sense of the Congress regarding the policy of the United 
    States at the 55th Annual Meeting of the International Whaling 
                              Commission.


_______________________________________________________________________


                   IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES

                             June 12, 2003

   Ms. Snowe (for herself, Mr. Kerry, Mr. McCain, Mr. Hollings, Mr. 
 Kennedy, Mr. Reed, Mr. Lieberman, Mr. Dodd, Mr. Smith, Mr. Levin, Mr. 
Akaka, Ms. Collins, Mr. Chafee, Mr. Biden, Mr. Corzine, Mrs. Boxer, Mr. 
    Lautenberg, and Mr. Cochran) submitted the following concurrent 
  resolution; which was referred to the Committee on Foreign Relations

_______________________________________________________________________

                         CONCURRENT RESOLUTION


 
Expressing the sense of the Congress regarding the policy of the United 
    States at the 55th Annual Meeting of the International Whaling 
                              Commission.

    Whereas whales have very low reproductive rates, making whale 
            populations extremely vulnerable to pressure from 
            commercial whaling;
    Whereas whales migrate throughout the world's oceans and 
            international cooperation is required to successfully 
            conserve and protect whale stocks;
    Whereas in 1946 a significant number of the nations of the world 
            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 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 has designated the Indian Ocean and the 
            ocean waters around Antarctica as whale sanctuaries to 
            further enhance the recovery of whale stocks;
    Whereas many nations of the world 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 one nation has joined the Commission under questionable 
            authority and claims it has a reservation to the moratorium 
            that is not recognized by all other Commission members;
    Whereas two 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 reservation 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 taken a reservation 
            to the Commission's Southern Ocean Sanctuary and also 
            continues to conduct unnecessary lethal scientific whaling 
            in the Southern Ocean and in the North Pacific Ocean;
    Whereas whale meat and blubber are being sold commercially from 
            whales killed pursuant to such unnecessary lethal 
            scientific whaling, further undermining 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 one member nation in the past unsuccessfully sought an 
            exemption allowing commercial whaling of up to 50 minke 
            whales, now uses a scientific permit for these same vessels 
            to take 50 minke whales, and continues to seek avenues to 
            allow lethal takes of whales by vessels from specific 
            communities in a manner that would undermine the moratorium 
            on commercial whaling;
    Whereas more than 7,500 whales have been killed in lethal 
            scientific whaling programs since the adoption of the 
            commercial whaling moratorium and the lethal take of whales 
            under scientific permits has increased both in quantity and 
            species, with species now including minke, Bryde's, sei, 
            and sperm whales, and a new proposal has been offered to 
            include fin whales for the first time;
    Whereas the first international trade of whale meat in 15 years 
            occurred last year between two member countries, and other 
            member countries have stated their intentions to engage in 
            international trade of whale products, despite a ban on 
            such trade under the Convention on International Trade in 
            Endangered Species; and
    Whereas engaging in commercial whaling under reservation and lethal 
            scientific whaling undermines the conservation program of 
            the Commission: Now, therefore, be it
    Resolved by the Senate (the House of Representatives concurring), 
That it is the sense of the Congress that--
            (1) at the 55th Annual Meeting of the International Whaling 
        Commission the United States should--
                    (A) remain firmly opposed to commercial whaling;
                    (B) initiate and support efforts to ensure that all 
                activities conducted under reservations to the 
                Commission's moratorium or sanctuaries are ceased;
                    (C) not recognize the reservation to the moratorium 
                against commercial whaling claimed by one nation that 
                has joined the Commission under questionable authority;
                    (D) oppose the lethal taking of whales for 
                scientific purposes unless such lethal taking is 
                specifically authorized by the Scientific Committee of 
                the Commission to be necessary for scientific purposes, 
                seek support for expanding the use of non-lethal 
                research methods, and seek 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 trade in whale meat;
                    (F) support the permanent protection of whale 
                populations through the establishment of whale 
                sanctuaries in which commercial whaling is prohibited; 
                and
                    (G) support efforts to expand data collection on 
                whale populations, monitor and reduce whale bycatch and 
                other incidental impacts, create a Conservation 
                Committee, and otherwise expand whale conservation 
                efforts;
            (2) at the 13th Conference of the Parties to the Convention 
        on International Trade in Endangered Species, the United States 
        should oppose all efforts to reopen international trade in 
        whale meat or downlist any whale population;
            (3) the United States should make full use of all 
        appropriate diplomatic mechanisms, relevant international laws 
        and agreements, and other appropriate mechanisms to implement 
        the goals set forth in paragraphs (1) and (2); and
            (4) if the Secretary of Commerce certifies to the 
        President, under section 8(a)(2) of the Fishermen's Protective 
        Act of 1967 (22 U.S.C. 1978(a)(2)), that nationals of a foreign 
        country are engaging in trade or a taking which diminishes the 
        effectiveness of the Convention, then the United States should 
        take appropriate steps at its disposal pursuant to Federal law 
        to convince such foreign country to cease such trade or taking.
                                 <all>