[Congressional Record Volume 146, Number 9 (Monday, February 7, 2000)]
[Senate]
[Page S381]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                        PETITIONS AND MEMORIALS

  The following petitions and memorials were laid before the Senate and 
were referred or ordered to lie on the table as indicated:

       POM-400. A joint resolution adopted by the Legislature of 
     the State of Maine relative to the protection and restoration 
     of the Atlantic Salmon; to the Committee on Environment and 
     Public Works.

                            Joint Resolution

       Whereas, the Federal Government, through the United States 
     Fish and Wildlife Service and the National Marine Fisheries 
     Service, has proposed to list the Atlantic salmon in 8 Maine 
     rivers under the federal Endangered Species Act and has 
     indicated a potential to include additional Maine rivers to 
     the detriment of the agriculture, manufacturing, forest 
     products and aquaculture industries of Maine on the basis of 
     limited scientific evidence;
       Whereas, Maine is strongly committed to the restoration of 
     the Atlantic salmon to its waters, as demonstrated through 
     the development of a comprehensive and cooperative Salmon 
     Conservation Plan, which was produced over the course of 3 
     years with input from federal officials, relevant state 
     departments, local conservation groups, affected businesses, 
     farmers and riverside residents; and
       Whereas, since the area covered by these 8 rivers and other 
     rivers that may be included in the listing in the future 
     contains \1/3\ of the human population of Maine and virtually 
     all of the aquaculture industry, all of Maine will feel the 
     impact of the naming of the Atlantic salmon to the Endangered 
     Species List; and
       Whereas, adding the Atlantic salmon to the Endangered 
     Species List in order to help the return of the Atlantic 
     salmon in significant numbers to Maine's waters compromises 
     partnership between Maine and the Federal Government, which 
     has had a history of good faith; and
       Whereas, there exist many significant threats to the 
     Atlantic salmon that lie beyond the influence of Maine that 
     also affect the prospects of long-term Atlantic salmon 
     restoration to the rivers of Maine; and
       Whereas, Maine is strongly committed to the restoration of 
     the Atlantic salmon to its waters, has committed millions of 
     dollars to its plan to produce this result and feels that the 
     naming of the Atlantic salmon to the Endangered Species List 
     is premature; now, therefore, be it
       Resolved, That We, your Memorialists, respectfully urge and 
     request that the President of the United States, the 
     Secretary of the Interior Bruce Babbitt, the Secretary of 
     Commerce William Daly and the Congress of the United States 
     reconsider the intent to include the Atlantic salmon on the 
     Endangered Species List as it would benefit neither the 
     Atlantic salmon nor the people of Maine and allow Maine to 
     continue to execute its own comprehensive plan to restore the 
     Atlantic salmon to its waters; and be it further
       Resolved, That suitable copies of this resolution, duly 
     authenticated by the Secretary of State, be transmitted to 
     the President of the United States, to the President of the 
     United States Senate, to the Speaker of the House of 
     Representatives of the United States, to the Secretary of the 
     Interior Bruce Babbitt, to the Secretary of Commerce William 
     Daley and to each Member of the Maine Congressional 
     Delegation.

                          ____________________