    [Public Papers of the Presidents of the United States: William J. Clinton (1996, Book I)]
    [February 20, 1996]
    [Page 305]
    [From the U.S. Government Publishing Office www.gpo.gov]

    [[Page 305]]

    Message to the Senate Transmitting the United Nations Agreement on
    Conservation and Management of Fisheries
    February 20, 1996

    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 Agreement for the Implementation
    of the Provisions of the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea
    of 10 December 1982 Relating to the Conservation and Management of
    Straddling Fish Stocks and Highly Migratory Fish Stocks, with Annexes
    (``the Agreement''), which was adopted at United Nations Headquarters in
    New York by consensus of the United Nations Conference on Straddling
    Fish Stocks and Highly Migratory Fish Stocks on August 4, 1995, and
    signed by the United States on December 4, 1995. I also transmit, for
    the information of the Senate, the report of the Secretary of State with
    respect to the Agreement.

        The Agreement represents a considerable achievement for the United
    States in promoting better stewardship of living marine resources. It
    strikes a sound balance between the interests of coastal States in
    protecting offshore fishery resources and those of States whose fishing
    vessels operate on the high seas. If widely ratified and properly
    implemented, the Agreement should significantly improve the prospects
    for sustainable fisheries worldwide.

        The Agreement builds directly upon, and strengthens, the fishery
    provisions contained in the 1982 United Nations Convention on the Law of
    the Sea (``the Convention''), which I transmitted to the Senate for
    advice and consent on October 6, 1994. As such, the Agreement further
    reflects the central role of the Convention in governing the maritime
    relations of the international community.

        Perhaps more than any other nation, the United States stands to
    benefit from widespread adherence to this Agreement. The Agreement will
    help to ensure that the harvesting of fish by vessels of other nations
    in waters beyond our exclusive economic zone does not undermine our
    domestic management of fisheries within U.S. jurisdiction. In addition,
    by promoting sound conservation practices generally, the Agreement can
    restore and maintain productive ocean fisheries for the benefit of
    American consumers and for U.S. fishing vessels wherever they operate.

        With regard to disputes concerning the interpretation or application
    of the Agreement, I intend to choose a special arbitral tribunal
    constituted in accordance with Annex VIII of the Convention, as
    recommended in the accompanying report of the Department of State.

        I recommend that the Senate give early and favorable consideration
    to the Agreement and give its advice and consent to its ratification.

                                                          William J. Clinton

    The White House,

    February 20, 1996.