110 HCON 94 : Encouraging the elimination of harmful U.S. House of Representatives 2007-06-07 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.

III 110th CONGRESS 1st Session H. CON. RES. 94 IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES June 7, 2007 Received and referred to the Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation CONCURRENT RESOLUTION Encouraging the elimination of harmful fishing subsidies that contribute to overcapacity in commercial fishing fleets worldwide and that lead to the overfishing of global fish stocks.

Whereas nearly 1,000,000,000 people around the world depend on fish as their primary source of dietary protein; Whereas the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization has found that 75 percent of the world’s fish populations are currently fully exploited, over exploited, significantly depleted, or recovering from overexploitation; Whereas scientists have estimated that a significant percentage of big predator fish such as tuna, marlin, and swordfish are gone from the world’s oceans as a result of overfishing by foreign fishing fleets; Whereas the global fishing fleet capacity is estimated to be up to 250 percent greater than is needed to catch what the ocean can sustainably produce; Whereas the Congress recognized the threat of overfishing to our oceans and economy and therefore included the requirement to end overfishing in the United States by 2011 in the Magnuson-Stevens Fishery Conservation and Management Reauthorization Act of 2006 (Public Law 109–479); Whereas the United States Commission on Ocean Policy and the Pew Oceans Commission identified overcapitalization of the global fishing fleets as a major contributor to the decline of economically important fish populations; Whereas harmful fishing subsidies encourage overcapitalization and overfishing; support destructive fishing practices such as high seas trawling that would not otherwise be economically viable; and amount to billions of dollars annually; Whereas such subsidies have also been documented to support illegal, unregulated, and unreported fishing, which impacts commercial fisheries in the United States and around the world both economically and ecologically; Whereas harmful fishing subsidies are concentrated in relatively few countries, putting other fishing countries, including the United States, at an economic disadvantage; Whereas the United States is a world leader in advancing policies to eliminate harmful fishing subsidies that support overcapacity and promote overfishing; and Whereas a wide range of countries are currently engaged in historic negotiations to end harmful fishing subsidies that contribute to overcapacity and overfishing: Now, therefore, be it

That the United States should continue to promote the elimination of harmful fishing subsidies that lead to— (1)overcapitalization; (2)overfishing; and (3)illegal, unregulated, and unreported fishing.

Passed the House of Representatives June 5, 2007. Lorraine C. Miller, Clerk.Deborah M. Spriggs, Deputy Clerk.