[Congressional Record Volume 144, Number 57 (Friday, May 8, 1998)]
[Senate]
[Pages S4600-S4601]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
REGARDING UNITED STATES POLICY AT THE 50TH ANNUAL MEETING OF THE
INTERNATIONAL WHALING COMMISSION
Mr. STEVENS. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent the Senate
proceed to the immediate consideration of Senate Resolution 226,
submitted earlier today by Senator Snowe and others.
The PRESIDING OFFICER. The clerk will report.
The assistant legislative clerk read as follows:
A resolution (S. Res. 226) expressing the sense of the
Senate regarding the policy of the United States at the 50th
Annual Meeting of the International Whaling Commission.
The PRESIDING OFFICER. Is there objection to the immediate
consideration of the resolution?
There being no objection, the Senate proceeded to consider the
resolution.
Ms. SNOWE. Mr. President, I am offering a resolution today which
expresses the sense of the Senate that the United States, at the next
meeting of the International Whaling Commission in two weeks, should
remain firmly opposed to commercial whaling and should oppose so-called
``scientific whaling.''
This resolution is very timely and important. As we work here in the
Senate today, representatives of nations from around the globe are
preparing for a meeting in Oman later this month that could determine
the fate of the world's whales. The International Whaling Commission,
to which the U.S. and many other countries belong, will be meeting
there to consider proposals to end the existing global moratorium on
commercial whaling. I think that the adoption of any such proposals by
the IWC would mark a major setback in the cause of whale conservation.
It is imperative that the United States remain firm in its opposition
to any proposals to resume commercial whaling, and that we, as a
nation, continue to speak out against this practice.
Commercial whaling has been prohibited for many species for more than
sixty years, but whaling for some species persisted into the 1980's.
Despite the partial protections in place for some species, however,
commercially targeted whale stocks continued to decline and the IWC
declared a global moratorium on all commercial whaling which went into
effect in 1986. The United States was a leader in the effort to
establish the moratorium, and since then we have consistently provided
a strong voice against commercial whaling and have worked to uphold the
moratorium. In addition, we have worked through the IWC process to
establish sanctuaries around the world to permanently protect whales.
Unfortunately, Norway, Japan, Russia and other countries have begun
an aggressive campaign to eliminate the moratorium and to return to the
days when whales were treated as commodities. In fact, Norway has begun
killing hundreds of whales a year in defiance of the moratorium.
Despite international efforts to protect and rebuild whale stocks, the
number of whales harvested has increased in recent years, tripling
since the implementation of the global moratorium in 1986. This is a
dangerous trend that does not show signs of stopping.
It is also time to close a loophole in the IWC rules used by nations
to conduct so-called scientific whaling to kill whales without regard
to the moratorium or established whale sanctuaries. The practice of
scientific lethal whaling is outdated and the value of the data of such
studies has been questioned by many scientists who work on the same
population dynamics questions as those who harvest whales in the name
of science. Japan is the most prominent practitioner of scientific
whaling, killing 400 to 500 whales annually. Although the scientific
merits of Japan's program are dubious at best, the meat taken from
whales killed in the name of science is processed and sold in the
marketplace. Also, Japan has reportedly killed many whales in the
Southern Ocean Whale Sanctuary established by the IWC around
Antarctica. In response to Japan's practices, the Scientific Committee
of the IWC has repeatedly passed resolutions calling for the cessation
of lethal scientific whaling, particularly that occurring in designated
whale sanctuaries.
The resolution that I am offering today reaffirms the United States'
strong support for a ban on commercial whaling at a time when our
negotiators at the IWC most need that support. It also addresses the
dubious practice of scientific whaling by stating that the U.S. should
oppose scientific whaling unless it is specifically authorized by the
Scientific Committee of the IWC.
Mr. President, here at home we work very, very hard to protect whales
in U.S. waters, particularly those considered threatened or endangered.
Our own laws and regulations give whales one of the highest standards
of protection in the world, and as a result, our own citizens are
subject to strict rules designed to protect against the accidental
taking or even harassment of whales. Intentional killing, including
commercial whaling, is, of course, completely prohibited. Given what is
asked of our citizens to protect against even accidental injury to
whales here in the U.S., it would be grossly unfair to them if we
retreated in any way from our position opposing commercial, intentional
whaling in other countries. Whales migrate throughout the world's
oceans, and as we protect whales in our own waters, so should we act to
protect them internationally. Indeed, the sacrifices that we make here
at home to protect whales would be seriously undermined if those same
whales could be killed by commercial hunters the moment they leave the
jurisdiction of the U.S.
Whales are among the most intelligent animals on Earth, and they play
a critically important role in the marine ecosystem. Yet, there is
still much about them that we do not know. Resuming the intentional,
large-scale harvest of whales is irresponsible, and it could have
ecological consequences that we cannot predict. While the IWC was able
to implement the global commercial moratorium, it has not had the
opportunity to conduct thorough and updated population assessments to
determine the status of whale stocks.
[[Page S4601]]
Therefore, it is premature to even consider easing the current
conservation measures. Mr. President, the right policy is to protect
whales across the globe, to oppose the resumption of commercial
whaling, and to halt the unscientific practice of scientific whaling.
Mr. President, I urge my colleagues to support this important
legislation.
Mr. STEVENS. I ask unanimous consent the resolution be agreed to, the
preamble be agreed to, and any statements with regard to the resolution
appear in the Record at this point.
The PRESIDING OFFICER. Without objection, it is so ordered.
The resolution (S. Res. 226) was agreed to.
The preamble was agreed to.
The resolution, with its preamble, reads as follows:
S. Res. 226
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 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 the whale stocks;
Whereas the Commission adopted a moratorium on commercial
whaling in 1982 in order to conserve and promote the recovery
of the whale stocks;
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 2 member nations of the Commission have taken
reservations to the Commission moratorium on commercial
whaling and 1 has recently resumed commercial whaling
operations in spit of the moratorium and the protests of
other nations;
Whereas another member nation of the Commission has taken a
reservation to the Commission's Southern Ocean Sanctuary and
continues to conduct lethal scientific whaling in the waters
of that sanctuary;
Whereas the Commission's Scientific Committee has
repeatedly expressed serious concerns about the scientific
need for such lethal whaling;
Whereas the lethal take of whales under reservations to the
Commissions policies have been increasing annually;
Whereas there continue to be indications that whale meat is
being traded on the international market despite a ban on
such trade under the Convention on International Trade in
Endangered Species (CITES), and that meat may be originating
in one of the member nations of the Commission;
Whereas 1998 is the International Year of the Ocean and the
Commission plays a leading role in global efforts to improve
the state of the world's oceans: Now, therefore, be it
Resolved, That it is the sense of the Senate that--
(1) at the 50th Annual Meeting of the International Whaling
Commission in Oman 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) oppose the lethal taking of whales for scientific
purposes unless such lethal taking is specifically authorized
by the Scientific Committee of the Commission;
(D) seek the Commission's support for specific efforts by
member nations to end illegal trade in whale meat; and
(E) support the permanent protection of whale populations
through the establishment of whale sanctuaries in which
commercial whaling is prohibited; and
(2) make full use of all appropriate diplomatic mechanisms,
relevant international laws and agreements, and other
appropriate mechanisms to implement the goals set forth in
paragraph (1).
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