[Congressional Record Volume 153, Number 82 (Thursday, May 17, 2007)]
[Senate]
[Page S6311]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




 SENATE RESOLUTION 208--ENCOURAGING THE ELIMINATION OF HARMFUL FISHING 
  SUBSIDIES THAT CONTRIBUTE TO OVERCAPACITY IN THE WORLD'S COMMERCIAL 
    FISHING FLEET AND LEAD TO THE OVERFISHING OF GLOBAL FISH STOCKS

  Mr. STEVENS (for himself, Mr. Inouye, Mr. Cochran, Ms. Cantwell, Ms. 
Snowe, Mr. Lott, Mrs. Murray, Ms. Murkowski, Mrs. Boxer, Mr. Sununu, 
Ms. Landrieu, Ms. Collins, Mr. Kerry, Mr. Lautenberg, and Mr. Vitter) 
submitted the following resolution; which was considered and agreed to:

                              S. Res. 208

       Whereas 2.6 billion people in the world get at least 20 
     percent of their total dietary animal protein intake from 
     fish;
       Whereas the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United 
     Nations has found that 25 percent of the world's fish 
     population are currently overexploited, depleted, or 
     recovering from overexploitation;
       Whereas scientists have estimated that populations of many 
     large predator fish such as tuna, marlin, and swordfish have 
     been overfished by foreign industrial fishing fleets;
       Whereas the global fishing fleet capacity is estimated to 
     be considerably greater than is needed to catch what the 
     ocean can sustainably produce;
       Whereas the United States Congress recognized the threat of 
     overfishing to our oceans and economy and therefore included 
     the requirement to end overfishing in United States 
     commercial fisheries 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 commercial fishing fleets as a major contributor 
     to the decline of economically important fish populations;
       Whereas harmful foreign fishing subsidies encourage 
     overcapitalization and overfishing, support destructive 
     fishing practices that would not otherwise be economically 
     viable, and amount to $10 to $15 billion annually, an amount 
     equivalent to 20 to 25 percent of the global commercial trade 
     in fish;
       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 members of the World Trade Organization, as part of 
     the Doha Development Agenda (Doha Development Round), are 
     engaged in historic negotiations to end harmful fishing 
     subsidies that contribute to overcapacity and overfishing: 
     Now, therefore, be it
       Resolved by the Senate, That the United States should 
     continue to promote the elimination of harmful foreign 
     fishing subsidies that promote overcapitalization, 
     overfishing, and illegal, unregulated, and unreported 
     fishing.

                          ____________________