[Congressional Record Volume 145, Number 127 (Monday, September 27, 1999)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Pages E1967-E1968]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




    INTRODUCTION OF THE SHARK CONSERVATION AND FINNING PROHIBITION 
                               RESOLUTION

                                 ______
                                 

                     HON. RANDY ``DUKE'' CUNNINGHAM

                             of california

                    in the house of representatives

                       Monday, September 27, 1999

  Mr. CUNNINGHAM. Mr. Speaker, it is time for the United States to ban 
the wasteful, unsportsmanlike and destructive practice of shark 
finning.
  Shark finning is the removal of a shark's fins, which represent just 
one to five percent of its body weight, and discarding its carcass into 
the sea. The waste associated with this practice is horrific. The 
public outcry to halt it was an important factor in the National Marine 
Fisheries Service's (NMFS) decision to ban shark finning in federal 
waters of the U.S. Atlantic, Gulf of Mexico and Caribbean. I had 
thought that NMFS had prohibited this practice in all waters of the 
United States.
  To my surprise and dismay, it was recently brought to my attention 
that shark finning is occurring in the U.S. Pacific, and increasing at 
an alarming rate. Between 1991 and 1998, there was a 20-fold increase 
in shark finning by U.S. longline vessels in the Central and Western 
Pacific. There are no regulations in place to stem further growth of 
this terrible practice.
  According to NMFS, in the Central and Western Pacific fishery, the 
number of sharks finned rose from 2,289 in 1991 to 60,857 in 1998. The 
most troubling fact about this increase in the number of sharks killed 
is that 98.7%, or 60,085 of the 60,857, of the sharks taken in 1998 
were killed just for their fins.
  The NMFS has gone on record with the Western Pacific Regional Fishery 
Management Council (WestPac) expressing its view that finning is 
wasteful and must be stopped. Unfortunately, WestPac has balked and 
NMFS has failed to step forward and stop this terrible practice. It is 
my belief, and those of any responsible outdoorsman, that the waste 
associated with discarding 95 to 99% of 60,000 animals annually is 
intolerable.
  With the support of my colleague, Fisheries Subcommittee Chairman Jim 
Saxton, and the conservation and sportfishing communities, I am 
introducing two pieces of legislation to remedy this situation.
  Today, I am sponsoring a resolution expressing the sense of Congress 
that we disagree with the Western Pacific Regional Fishery Management 
Council's and NMFS failure to halt shark finning, while urging that 
Council to prohibit the practice immediately.
  Later this year, I will be introducing legislation to amend the 
Magnuson-Stevens Act by adding the practice of shark finning to the 
list of actions prohibited in all waters of the United States.
  I hope my colleagues on both sides of the aisle will join me by 
cosponsoring this important resolution. For the record, I have attached 
a letter of support from the Ocean Wildlife Campaign, a coalition that 
includes the Center for Marine Conservation, National Audubon Society, 
National Coalition for Marine Conservation, Natural Resources Defense 
Council, Wildlife Conservation Society, and the World Wildlife Fund. In 
addition, I have attached separate letters of support from the American 
Sportfishing Association and the Center for Marine Conservation. Our 
prompt action is critical to ensure that we will halt the rampant waste 
resulting from shark finning.

                            American Sportfishing Association,

                               Alexandria, VA, September 23, 1999.
     Hon. Randy ``Duke'' Cunningham,
     U.S. House of Representatives, Washington, DC.
       Dear Congressman Cunningham: On behalf of the nearly 500 
     members of the American Sportfishing Association, I wish to 
     express my strong support for your resolution to ban the 
     wasteful practice of shark finning. I commend your initiative 
     in tackling this important, yet easily dismissed issue.
       For far too long, we have neglected to take action to stop 
     this most unsportsmanlike fishing activity. We now know that 
     the best shark is not a dead shark; that these oft maligned 
     fish play critical roles in preserving balance in the marine 
     ecosystem. Healthy shark populations help maintain robust 
     fisheries. Your effort to ban finning will not only benefit 
     depressed shark populations, but many other species of 
     commercially and recreationally important fish.
       Thank you for your leadership in this area.
           Sincerely,
                                                      Mike Hayden,
                                                    President/CEO.


     
                                  ____
                                      Ocean Wildlife Campaign,

                               Washington, DC, September 22, 1999.
     Hon. Randy Cunningham, 
     U.S. House of Representatives,
     Washington, DC.
       Dear Representative Cunningham: We are writing to express 
     serious concern regarding the management and health of shark 
     populations in U.S. Pacific waters, specifically in areas 
     under the jurisdiction of the Western Pacific Regional 
     Fishery Management Council (WESPAC). Driven by the 
     international demand for shark fin soup, the practice of 
     shark finning--cutting of a shark's fins and discarding its 
     carcass back into the ocean--is a rapidly growing problem 
     that is directly responsible for huge increases in the number 
     of sharks killed annually and appalling waste of this 
     nation's living marine resources. The National Marine 
     Fisheries Service has prohibited shark finning in the U.S. 
     Atlantic, Gulf of Mexico, and Caribbean. It is time to ban 
     finning in the Pacific.
       Between 1991 and 1998, the number of sharks ``retained'' by 
     the Hawaii-based swordfish and tuna longline fleet jumped 
     from 2,289 to 60,857 annually. In 1998, over 98 percent of 
     these sharks were killed for their fins to meet the demand 
     for shark fin soup. Because shark fins typically comprise 
     only one to five percent of a shark's bodyweight, 95 to 99 
     percent of the shark is going to waste: Sharks are 
     particularly vulnerable to overfishing because of their 
     ``life history characteristics''--slow growth, late sexual 
     maturity, and the production of few young. Once depleted, a 
     population may take decades to recover.
       The National Marine Fisheries Service, conservationists, 
     fishermen, scientists, and the public have pressured WESPAC 
     to end the practice of shark finning. Nevertheless,

[[Page E1968]]

     WESPAC and the State of Hawaii recently failed to take action 
     to end or control finning.
       This issue of shark finning is characterized by a dangerous 
     lack of management, rampant waste, and egregious 
     inconsistencies with U.S. domestic and international policy 
     stances. It is the most visible symptom of a larger problem: 
     a lack of comprehensive management for sharks in U.S. Pacific 
     waters. The history of poorly or unmanaged shark fisheries 
     around the world is unequivocal: rapid decline followed by 
     collapse. Sharks are not managed in U.S. Central and Western 
     Pacific waters, and with increased fishing pressure there may 
     be rapidly growing problems.
       We urge your office to take whatever action is necessary to 
     immediately end the destructive practice of shark finning in 
     U.S. waters and encourage WESPAC to develop a comprehensive 
     fishery management plan for sharks that will, among other 
     things: 1. Immediately prohibit the finning of sharks; 2. 
     Immediately reduce shark mortality levels by requiring the 
     live release of all bycatch or ``incidentally caught'' 
     animals brought to the boat alive; 3. Immediately reduce the 
     bycatch of sharks; 4. Prevent overfishing by quickly 
     establishing precautionary commercial and recreational quotas 
     for sharks until a final comprehensive management plan is 
     adopted that ensures the future health of the population. 
     Given the dramatic increase in the number of sharks killed in 
     the Hawaiian longline fishery, WESPAC should cap shark 
     mortality at 1994 levels as a minimum interim action, pending 
     the outcome of new population assessments.
       Thank you for your attention to this urgent matter.
     David Wilmot, Ph.D.,
       Ocean Wildlife Campaign.
     Carl Safina, Ph.D.,
       National Audubon Society.
     Lisa Speer,
       Natural Resources Defense Council.
     Tom Grasso,
       World Wildlife Fund.
     Sonja Fordham,
       Center for Marine Conservation.
     Ken Hinman,
       National Coalition for Marine Conservation.
     Ellen Pikitch, Ph.D.,
       Wildlife Conservation Society.


       
                                  ____
                               Center for Marine Conservation,

                               Washington, DC, September 22, 1999.
     Hon. Randy Cunningham,
     U.S. House of Representatives,
     Washington, DC.
       Dear Representative Cunningham: On behalf of the Center for 
     Marine Conservation (CMC), I am writing to express our grave 
     concern for Pacific sharks, specifically those under the 
     jurisdiction of the Western Pacific Regional Fishery 
     Management Council (WESPAC). High demand for shark fin soup 
     has driven a dramatic surge in shark finning (the practice of 
     slicing off a shark's valuable fins and discarding the body 
     at sea) by the Hawaiian longline fleet. This appalling waste 
     of America's public marine resources is tied to alarming yet 
     unrestricted increases in mortality of some of the ocean's 
     most biologically vulnerable fish.
       Shark conservation has long been a key element of CMC's 
     fisheries program due in large part to the life history 
     characteristics that leave sharks exceptionally susceptible 
     to overfishing. In general, sharks grow slowly, mature late 
     and produce a small number of young. Once depleted, shark 
     populations often require decades to recover. In the U.S. 
     Atlantic, for example, several overfished shark stocks will 
     require four decades to rebuild to healthy levels, even with 
     strict fishing controls. Indeed, nearly every large scale 
     shark fishery this century has ended in collapse.
       Off Hawaii, the number of sharks killed and brought to the 
     dock (landed) has increased by more than 2500 percent, 
     skyrocketing from just 2,289 sharks in 1991 to 60,857 sharks 
     in 1998. In 1998, over 98 percent of these sharks were killed 
     solely for their fins. Considering that shark fins typically 
     comprise only one to five percent of a shark's bodyweight, 95 
     to 99 percent of the shark is going to waste.
       CMC has been calling upon Western Pacific fishery managers 
     to restrict shark fisheries and ban finning for more than 
     five years. More recently, similar demands have been made by 
     many other national conservation organizations as well as 
     local Hawaiian environmental and fishing groups, 
     international scientific societies, concerned citizens, and 
     several Department of Commerce high-ranking officials. A 
     recent poll by Seaweb found that finning was among the ocean 
     issues most disturbing to the American public. Nevertheless, 
     WESPAC and the State of Hawaii have yet to take action to 
     control finning or limit shark mortality.
       Shark finning in particular runs counter not only to the 
     will of the American public, to which these resources belong, 
     but also to U.S. domestic and international policy as 
     expressed in: The Sustaintable Fisheries Act (SFA); the 
     Fishery Management Plan (FMP) for Sharks of the Atlantic 
     Ocean; the United Nations Food and Agricultural Organization 
     (FAO) Code of Conduct for Responsible Fisheries; and the FAO 
     International Plan of Action for Sharks.
       In addition, as you are likely aware, California is just 
     one of many coastal states to ban finning within their 
     waters.
       In the U.S. Atlantic, the lucrative market for shark fins 
     drove an intense fishery that led to severe depletion of 
     several shark populations within less than ten years. Citing 
     ``universal and strong support'' for a ban on finning on 
     behalf of the non-fishing American public, the National 
     Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS) banned the practice in U.S. 
     Atlantic in 1993, stating that:
       NMFS believes that finning is wasteful of valuable shark 
     resources and poses a threat to attaining the conservation 
     objectives of fishery management under the Magnuson Act.
       This year, NMFS expanded the existing finning ban from the 
     39 regulated species to all sharks in the Atlantic while 
     Department of Commerce officials have repeatedly, yet 
     unsuccessfully, called upon WESPAC to halt finning.
       In recent years, the United States has emerged as a world 
     leader in crafting and promoting landmark, international 
     agreements pertaining to sharks and continues to lead efforts 
     to raise global awareness of their plight and special 
     management needs. Yet, our inability to address an egregious 
     finning problem within our own waters threatens to undermine 
     the U.S. role in these important, international initiatives.
       CMC asks for your assistance in ensuring an immediate end 
     to the wasteful practice of finning, accompanied by a 
     requirement that all incidentally-caught sharks brought to 
     the boat alive be released alive. In addition, a 
     comprehensive Pacific shark management plan that prevents 
     overfishing and reduces bycatch is absolutely crucial to 
     safeguarding these especially vulnerable animals; 
     precautionary catch limits in the Western Pacific (no higher 
     than 1994 mortality levels) are needed until such a plan is 
     complete.
       Thank you for your attention to this urgent matter.
           Sincerely,
                                                 Sonja V. Fordham,
                                        Fisheries Project Manager.

     
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