IIA 

110TH CONGRESS 

1ST SESSION S. J. RES. 17 

Directing the United States to initiate international discussions and take 

necessary steps with other Nations to negotiate an agreement for managing migratory and transboundary fish stocks in the Arctic Ocean. 

IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES 

AUGUST 3, 2007 

Mr. STEVENS (for himself, Mr. INOUYE, Ms. CANTWELL, Ms. SNOWE, Ms. 

MURKOWSKI, Mr. SUNUNU, Mr. COCHRAN, Mr. KERRY, Ms. COLLINS, 

Mrs. MURRAY, and Mrs. BOXER) submitted the following joint resolution; 

which was read twice and referred to the Committee on Foreign Relations 

JOINT RESOLUTION 

Directing the United States to initiate international discussions and take necessary steps with other Nations to 

negotiate an agreement for managing migratory and 

transboundary fish stocks in the Arctic Ocean. 

Whereas the decline of several commercially valuable fish 

stocks throughout the world’s oceans highlights the 

need for fishing nations to conserve fish stocks and 

develop management systems that promote fisheries 

sustainability; 

Whereas fish stocks are migratory throughout their habitats, and changing ocean conditions can restructure 

marine habitats and redistribute the species dependent on those habitats; 


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SJ 17 IS 

Whereas changing global climate regimes may increase 

ocean water temperature, creating suitable new habitats in areas previously too cold to support certain 

fish stocks, such as the Arctic Ocean; 

Whereas habitat expansion and migration of fish stocks 

into the Arctic Ocean and the potential for vessel 

docking and navigation in the Arctic Ocean could 

create conditions favorable for establishing and expanding commercial fisheries in the future; 

Whereas commercial fishing has occurred in several regions of the Arctic Ocean, including the Barents Sea, 

Kara Sea, Beaufort Sea, Chukchi Sea, and Greenland Sea, although fisheries scientists have only limited data on current and projected future fish stock 

abundance and distribution patterns throughout the 

Arctic Ocean; 

Whereas remote indigenous communities in all nations 

that border the Arctic Ocean engage in limited, small 

scale subsistence fishing and must maintain access to 

and sustainability of this fishing in order to survive; 

Whereas many of these communities depend on a variety 

of other marine life for social, cultural and subsistence purposes, including marine mammals and 

seabirds that may be adversely affected by climate 

change, and emerging fisheries in the Arctic should 

take into account the social, economic, cultural and 

subsistence needs of these small coastal communities; 

Whereas managing for fisheries sustainability requires 

that all commercial fishing be conducted in accordance with science-based limits on harvest, timely and 

accurate reporting of catch data, equitable allocation 


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SJ 17 IS 

and access systems, and effective monitoring and enforcement systems; 

Whereas migratory fish stocks traverse international 

boundaries between the exclusive economic zones of 

fishing nations and the high seas, and ensuring sustainability of fisheries targeting these stocks requires 

management systems based on international coordination and cooperation; 

Whereas international fishing treaties and agreements 

provide a framework for establishing rules to guide 

sustainable fishing activities among those nations 

that are parties to the agreement, and regional fisheries management organizations provide international 

fora for implementing these agreements and facilitating international cooperation and collaboration; 

Whereas under its authorities in the Magnuson-Stevens 

Fishery Conservation and Management Act, the 

North Pacific Fishery Management Council has proposed that the United States close all Federal waters 

in the Chukchi and Beaufort Seas to commercial 

fishing until a fisheries management plan is fully developed; and 

Whereas future commercial fishing and fisheries management activities in the Arctic Ocean should be developed through a coordinated international framework, 

as provided by international treaties or regional fisheries management organizations, and this framework 

should be implemented before significant commercial 

fishing activity expands to the high seas: Now, therefore, be it 


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SJ 17 IS 

1 Resolved, by the Senate and House of Representatives 

2 of the United States of America in Congress assembled 

3 That— 

4 (1) the United States should initiate inter5 national discussions and take necessary steps with 

6 other Arctic nations to negotiate an agreement or 

7 agreements for managing migratory, transboundary, 

8 and straddling fish stocks in the Arctic Ocean and 

9 establishing a new international fisheries manage10 ment organization or organizations for the region; 

11 (2) the agreement or agreements negotiated 

12 pursuant to paragraph (1) should conform to the re13 quirements of the United Nations Fish Stocks 

14 Agreement and contain mechanisms, inter alia, for 

15 establishing catch and bycatch limits, harvest alloca16 tions, observers, monitoring, data collection and re17 porting, enforcement, and other elements necessary 

18 for sustaining future Arctic fish stocks; 

19 (3) as international fisheries agreements are ne20 gotiated and implemented, the United States should 

21 consult with the North Pacific Regional Fishery 

22 Management Council and Alaska Native subsistence 

23 communities of the Arctic; and 

24 (4) until the agreement or agreements nego25 tiated pursuant to paragraph (1) come into force 


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1 and measures consistent with the United Nations 

2 Fish Stocks Agreement are in effect, the United 

3 States should support international efforts to halt 

4 the expansion of commercial fishing activities in the 

5 high seas of the Arctic Ocean. 

Æ 


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