109 HCON 441 IH: Expressing the sense of Congress regarding U.S. House of Representatives 2006-06-29 text/xml EN Pursuant to Title 17 Section 105 of the United States Code, this file is not subject to copyright protection and is in the public domain.

IV 109th CONGRESS 2d Session H. CON. RES. 441 IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES June 29, 2006 Mr. DeFazio (for himself, Mr. Rahall, and Mr. Gilchrest) submitted the following concurrent resolution; which was referred to the Committee on International Relations, and in addition to the Committee on Ways and Means, for a period to be subsequently determined by the Speaker, in each case for consideration of such provisions as fall within the jurisdiction of the committee concerned CONCURRENT RESOLUTION Expressing the sense of Congress regarding the regrettable votes cast by certain Caribbean countries for a resumption of commercial whaling at the 58th annual International Whaling Commission meeting in St. Kitts in June 2006.

Whereas whales have very low reproductive rates, which makes many whale species extremely vulnerable to pressure from whaling, and many whale species were hunted to near extinction by the commercial whaling industry; Whereas whales migrate throughout the world’s oceans, and international cooperation is required to successfully conserve and protect whales; 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 populations; Whereas the International Whaling Commission adopted a moratorium on commercial whaling in 1982 to conserve and promote the recovery of whale populations and later established the Indian Ocean and part of the ocean around the Antarctic as a whale sanctuary to further enhance the recovery of whale populations; Whereas, at the 58th annual International Whaling Commission meeting in St. Kitts in June 2006, the Caribbean countries of Antigua and Barbuda, Dominica, Grenada, St. Kitts and Nevis, St. Lucia, and St. Vincent and the Grenadines voted with pro-whaling interests to support the resumption of commercial whaling by claiming the moratorium is no longer necessary, to allow Japan to hunt 150 minke whales, to remove conservation efforts directed at small whales and dolphins, and to implement secret ballots; Whereas five of these six Caribbean countries, St. Vincent and the Grenadines abstained, also voted to delete the Southern Ocean Sanctuary; Whereas a majority of tourists to these six Caribbean countries come from the United States, and the American people are overwhelmingly opposed to the resumption of commercial whaling; Whereas thirty species of whale and dolphins can be found in the Caribbean, and commercial enterprises offering whale watching tours began in the Caribbean in the mid-1980s and has rapidly expanded; Whereas the revenue attributable to whale watching far exceeds the revenue attributable to whaling; Whereas, by supporting the resumption of commercial whaling, a country could adversely affect its international image and jeopardize its tourism industry; and Whereas, in May 2006, Caribbean environmental leaders, whale watch operators, and tourism industry representatives met in Trinidad to voice their concern and opposition to whaling and to challenge their governments to change their pro-whaling positions: Now, therefore, be it

That it is the sense of Congress that— (1)the Caribbean countries of Antigua and Barbuda, Dominica, Grenada, St. Kitts and Nevis, St. Lucia, and St. Vincent and the Grenadines should— (A)renounce their support for a resumption of commercial whaling and instead support fledgling whale watching operations in the Caribbean; (B)join with the United States and a majority of other countries to support strong conservation measures for whales; and (C)at the next annual International Whaling Commission meeting, oppose the resumption of commercial whaling, support existing sanctuaries and the creation of new sanctuaries, support strong conservation measures for whales, and oppose the use of secret balloting at International Whaling Commission meetings; and (2)the United States should consider the position of these Caribbean countries regarding commercial whaling when considering any future foreign aid to, or trade agreements with, these countries.