[Congressional Record Volume 140, Number 106 (Thursday, August 4, 1994)]
[Senate]
[Page S]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Printing Office [www.gpo.gov]


[Congressional Record: August 4, 1994]
From the Congressional Record Online via GPO Access [wais.access.gpo.gov]

 
                       NATIONAL U.S. SEAFOOD WEEK

  Mr. REID. Madam President, I ask unanimous consent that the Judiciary 
Committee be discharged from further consideration of S.J. Res. 194, 
designating ``National U.S. Seafood Week,'' and that the Senate then 
proceed to its immediate consideration.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. The joint resolution will be stated by title.
  The legislative clerk read as follows:

       A joint resolution (S.J. Res. 194) to designate the second 
     week of August 1995 as ``National U.S. Seafood Week.''

  The PRESIDING OFFICER. Is there objection to the immediate 
consideration of the joint resolution?
  There being no objection, the Senate proceeded to consider the joint 
resolution.


                           Amendment No. 2459

(Purpose: To strike all language designating the second week of August 
1995 as ``National U.S. Seafood Week'' so that Senate Joint Resolution 
 194 designates only the second week of August 1994 as ``National U.S. 
                            Seafood Week'')

  Mr. REID. Madam President, on behalf of Senator Biden, I send an 
amendment to the desk and ask that the amendment be agreed to.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. Without objection, it is so ordered.
  So the amendment (No. 2459) was agreed to as follows:

       On page 3, lines 3-4 of the joint resolution, strike ``, 
     and the second week of August, 1995,''.


                       national u.s. seafood week

  Mr. STEVENS. Mr. President, on May 19, 1994, I introduced Senate 
Joint Resolution 194, which would designate the second week of August 
as ``National U.S. Seafood Week.''
  Today, I urge my colleagues to pass this joint resolution so that we 
can celebrate National U.S. Seafood Week during the week of August 7-
13, 1994.
  As I stated in May, the purpose of the joint resolution is to 
increase the awareness of American consumers of the availability and 
superior quality of domestically produced seafood.
  The U.S. seafood industry provides hundreds of thousands of jobs to 
fish harvesters, growers, processors, managers, biologists, ship 
builders and suppliers, shippers, carriers, marketing personnel, 
wholesale and retail sellers, grocers, and others.
  Our domestic seafood industry produces roughly 10 billion pounds of 
seafood each year, roughly 6 billion of which come from Alaska.
  Fresh seafood is commercially harvested from the oceans of every 
region of the country.
  This joint resolution will help to make American consumers aware of 
the vast diversity, quality, and availability of the seafood being 
harvested each year in the waters of the United States.
  We have chosen the second week of August to celebrate, because it 
comes at the peak of the summer fishing season, when many types of 
fresh fish are available.
  Next week, at my request, the Senate restaurant will highlight 
seafood on the menu to celebrate this first annual National U.S. 
Seafood Week.
  We hope that many others will celebrate with us next week, and that 
the celebration will grow in 1995 and in the years to come.
  I would like to thank Senator Kerry for helping with this joint 
resolution, and to thank the 54 other Senators who cosponsored this 
joint resolution with us.
  Thanks also to Congressman Don Young for his work in the House on 
this important joint resolution.
  Mr. REID. Madam President, I ask unanimous consent that the joint 
resolution, as amended, be deemed read three times and passed; that the 
preamble be agreed to, and the title amendment at the desk be agreed 
to, and the motions to reconsider be laid upon the table, en bloc.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. Without objection, it is so ordered.
  So the joint resolution (S.J. Res. 194), as amended, was passed, as 
follows:

                             S.J. Res. 194

       Whereas seafood is an important natural resource 
     commercially harvested from the waters of every region of the 
     United States;
       Whereas an increasing amount of seafood is also available 
     through United States aquaculture production;
       Whereas the United States seafood industry provides 
     hundreds of thousands of jobs and includes fish harvesters, 
     growers, processors, managers, biologists, ship builders and 
     suppliers, shippers, carriers, marketing personnel, wholesale 
     and retail sellers, grocers, and others;
       Whereas the buying and consumption of American seafood 
     products boosts our national economy and supports the ``Made 
     in the USA'' theme;
       Whereas seafood is one of the healthiest forms of protein, 
     and is low in calories, fat, and cholesterol;
       Whereas seafood is being processed in increasingly creative 
     forms to provide a vast market and a great variety of 
     products;
       Whereas each United States citizen consumes an average of 
     15 pounds of seafood annually, while citizens of some other 
     industrialized fishing countries each consume over 50 pounds 
     of seafood annually;
       Whereas the United States harvests and produces 10 billion 
     pounds of seafood annually;
       Whereas the United States is the largest exporter of 
     seafood in the world, but also the second largest importer of 
     seafood, and domestic seafood which could be consumed by 
     United States citizens is being exported to other countries;
       Whereas the average American consumer will unknowingly 
     purchase foreign seafood due to a lack of awareness about the 
     availability and superior quality of domestic seafood;
       Whereas competition in the world seafood market has 
     increased, in part due to the subsidization of foreign 
     seafood industries, particularly foreign aquaculture;
       Whereas domestic seafood is one of the Nation's most 
     valuable sustainable natural resources; and
       Whereas the United States could become a much healthier 
     Nation simply by eating a better diet, including eating more 
     domestic seafood: Now, therefore, be it
       Resolved by the Senate and House of Representatives of the 
     United States of America in Congress assembled, That the 
     second week of August 1994 be designated as ``National United 
     States Seafood Week''. The President is authorized and 
     requested to issue a proclamation calling upon the people of 
     the United States to observe the week with appropriate 
     ceremonies and activities.

  The title was amended so as to read:

       Joint Resolution to designate the second week of August 
     1994 as ``National United States Seafood Week.''

                          ____________________