    [Public Papers of the Presidents of the United States: William J. Clinton (1993, Book II)]
    [October 4, 1993]
    [Page 1684]
    [From the U.S. Government Publishing Office www.gpo.gov]

    Message to the Congress on Whaling Activities of Norway
    October 4, 1993

    To the Congress of the United States:
        On August 5, 1993, the Secretary of Commerce certified that Norway's
    resumption of commercial harvesting of minke whales has diminished the
    effectiveness of the International Whaling Commission (IWC). The IWC
    acted to continue the moratorium on all commercial whaling at its most
    recent meeting last spring. Despite this action, Norway has recommenced
    commercial whaling of the Northeastern Atlantic minke, noting that it
    has lodged an objection to the moratorium. This letter constitutes my
    report to the Congress pursuant to section 8(b) of the Fishermen's
    Protective Act of 1967, as amended (Pelly Amendment) (22 U.S.C.
    1978(a)).
        The United States is deeply opposed to commercial whaling: the
    United States does not engage in commercial whaling, and the United
    States does not allow the import of whale meat or whale products. While
    some native Alaskans engage in narrowly circumscribed subsistence
    whaling, this is approved by the IWC through a quota for ``aboriginal
    whaling.'' The United States also firmly supports the proposed whale
    sanctuary in the Antarctic.
        The United States has an equally strong commitment to science-based
    international solutions to global conservation problems. The United
    States recognizes that not every country agrees with our position
    against commercial whaling. The issue at hand is the absence of a
    credible, agreed management and monitoring regime that would ensure that
    commercial whaling is kept within a science-based limit.
        I believe that Norway's action is serious enough to justify
    sanctions as authorized by the Pelly Amendment. Therefore, I have
    directed that a list of potential sanctions, including a list of
    Norwegian seafood products that could be the subject of import
    prohibitions, be developed. Because the primary interest of the United
    States in this matter is protecting the integrity of the IWC and its
    conservation regime, I believe our objectives can best be achieved by
    delaying the implementation of sanctions until we have exhausted all
    good faith efforts to persuade Norway to follow agreed conservation
    measures. It is my sincere hope that Norway will agree to and comply
    with such measures so that sanctions become unnecessary.

                                                          William J. Clinton

    The White House,
    October 4, 1993.