[Congressional Record Volume 159, Number 55 (Monday, April 22, 2013)]
[Senate]
[Page S2855]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]


  REMOVAL OF INJUNCTION OF SECRECY--TREATY DOCUMENT NO. 113-1, TREATY 
           DOCUMENT NO. 113-2, AND TREATY DOCUMENT NO. 113-3

  Mr. WYDEN. Mr. President, as in executive session, I ask unanimous 
consent that the Injunction of Secrecy be removed from the following 
treaties transmitted to the Senate on April 22, 2013, by the President 
of the United States:
  Convention on the Conservation and Management of High Seas Fishery 
Resources in the South Pacific Ocean, Treaty Document No. 113-1; 
Convention on the Conservation and Management of High Seas Fisheries 
Resources in the North Pacific Ocean, Treaty Document No. 113-2; and 
amendment to the Convention of Future Multilateral Cooperation in the 
Northwest Atlantic Fisheries, Treaty Document No. 113-3.
  I further ask that the treaties be considered as having been read the 
first time, they be referred with the accompanying papers to the 
Committee on Foreign Relations and ordered to be printed, and that the 
President's messages be printed in the Record.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. Without objection, it is so ordered.
  The messages of the President are as follows:

To the Senate of the United States:
  I transmit herewith the Convention on the Conservation and Management 
of High Seas Fishery Resources in the South Pacific Ocean (the 
``Convention''), done at Auckland, New Zealand, November 14, 2009, with 
a view to receiving the advice and consent of the Senate to 
ratification. I also transmit, for the information of the Senate, the 
report of the Secretary of State on the Convention that includes an 
article-by-article analysis.
  The Convention establishes a regional fisheries management 
organization through which Parties will give effect to their duty to 
cooperate in the conservation and sustainable use of the high seas 
fishery resources in the South Pacific Ocean and to safeguard the 
marine ecosystems in which these resources occur.
  The Convention requires Parties to apply specific conservation and 
management principles and approaches in giving effect to the objective 
of the Convention. These principles and approaches are enshrined in 
existing international instruments to which the United States is a 
party, such as the Agreement for the Implementation of the Provisions 
of the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea of December 10, 
1982, relating to the Conservation and Management of Straddling Fish 
Stocks and Highly Migratory Fish Stocks of December 4, 1995. In 
addition, the Convention requires that Parties design and adopt 
specific conservation and management measures, such as limitations on 
catch or effort, time or area closures, and gear restrictions.
  The Department of State, Department of Commerce, U.S. Coast Guard, 
and relevant U.S. stakeholders strongly support the Convention. The 
legislation necessary to implement the Convention will be submitted 
separately to the Congress for its consideration. I therefore recommend 
that the Senate give early and favorable consideration to this 
Convention and give its advice and consent to ratification.
                                                        Barack Obama.  
The White House, April 22, 2013.
                                  ____

To the Senate of the United States:
  With a view to receiving the advice and consent of the Senate to 
ratification, I transmit herewith the Convention on the Conservation 
and Management of High Seas Fisheries Resources in the North Pacific 
Ocean, done at Tokyo on February 24, 2012, and signed by the United 
States on May 2, 2012 (the ``Convention''). I also transmit, for the 
information of the Senate, the report of the Secretary of State on the 
Convention that includes an article-by-article analysis.
  The Convention establishes a regional fisheries management 
organization through which Parties will cooperate to ensure the long-
term conservation and sustainable use of the fisheries resources in the 
high seas of the North Pacific Ocean while protecting the marine 
ecosystems in which these resources occur.
  The Convention will require implementing legislation, which is being 
drafted and will be submitted separately to the Congress for its 
consideration.
  Cooperation under the Convention will address fisheries resources not 
covered under preexisting international fisheries management 
instruments and will help to prevent destructive fishing practices on 
the high seas that may have impacts on fisheries resources in areas 
subject to U.S. jurisdiction. Ratification by the United States would 
also ensure that future U.S. fisheries interests in the region subject 
to the Convention will be factored into allocation decisions. I 
therefore recommend that the Senate give favorable consideration to the 
Convention and give its advice and consent to ratification at the 
earliest possible date.
                                                        Barack Obama.  
The White House, April 22, 2013.
                                  ____

To the Senate of the United States:
  With a view to receiving the advice and consent of the Senate to 
ratification, I transmit herewith the Amendment to the Convention on 
Future Multilateral Cooperation in the Northwest Atlantic Fisheries 
(the ``Convention''), adopted on September 28, 2007, at the twenty-
ninth Annual Meeting of the North Atlantic Fisheries Organization 
(NAFO). I also transmit, for the information of the Senate, the report 
of the Secretary of State on the Amendment, which includes an article-
by-article analysis.
  The Amendment serves to bring the Convention in line with modern 
international fisheries governance, including revisions to its 
decisionmaking and objection rules and a new comprehensive dispute 
settlement procedure. The Amendment also reflects changes to the budget 
contribution scheme that are expected to significantly reduce U.S. 
annual payments to NAFO. Involved Federal agencies and stakeholders 
strongly support the proposed changes to the Convention. The 
strengthened Convention will improve the way NAFO manages the fish 
stocks under its purview and enforces compliance with the measures it 
adopts, which in turn will improve the chances that key stocks in the 
Northwest Atlantic will recover enough to support resumed fishing.
  The recommended changes to the Northwest Atlantic Fisheries 
Convention Act of 1995 necessary to implement the Amendment will be 
submitted separately to the Congress. I therefore recommend that the 
Senate give favorable consideration to the Amendment to the Convention 
and give its advice and consent to ratification at the earliest 
possible date.
                                                        Barack Obama.  
The White House, April 22, 2013.

                          ____________________