[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 157 (2011), Part 12]
[Senate]
[Page 17117]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




      REMOVAL OF INJUNCTION OF SECRECY--TREATY DOCUMENT NO. 112-4

  Mr. REID. Mr. President, as in executive session, I ask unanimous 
consent that the injunction of secrecy be removed from the following 
treaty transmitted to the Senate on November 14, 2011, by the President 
of the United States: Agreement on Port State Measures to Prevent, 
Deter, and Eliminate Illegal, Unreported, and Unregulated Fishing, 
Treaty Document No. 112-4. I further ask consent that the treaty be 
considered as having been read the first time; that it be referred, 
with accompanying papers, to the Committee on Foreign Relations and 
ordered to be printed; and that the President's message be printed in 
the Record.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. Without objection, it is so ordered.
  The message of the President is as follows:

To the Senate of the United States:
  I transmit herewith, for the advice and consent of the Senate to its 
ratification, the Agreement on Port State Measures to Prevent, Deter, 
and Eliminate Illegal, Unreported, and Unregulated Fishing, done at the 
Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations, in Rome, 
Italy, on November 22, 2009 (the ``Agreement''). I also transmit, for 
the information of the Senate, the report of the Department of State 
with respect to the Agreement.
  The Agreement established, for the first time at the global level, 
legally binding minimum standards for port states to control port 
access by foreign fishing vessels, as well as by foreign transport and 
supply ships that support fishing vessels. The Agreement also 
encourages Parties to apply similar measures to their own vessels. 
Involved Federal agencies and stakeholders strongly support the 
Agreement. The Agreement establishes practical provisions to prevent 
fish from illegal, unreported, and unregulated fisheries from entering 
the stream of commerce. If widely ratified and properly implemented, 
the Agreement will thereby serve as a valuable tool in combating 
illegal, unreported, and unregulated fishing worldwide.
  The legislation necessary to implement the Agreement will be 
submitted separately to the Congress. I recommend that the Senate give 
early and favorable consideration to this Agreement and give its advice 
and consent to ratification.
                                                        Barack Obama.  
The White House, November 14, 2011.

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