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[Congressional Bills 110th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[S. Res. 208 Agreed to Senate (ATS)]

  1st Session
S. RES. 208

     Encouraging the elimination of harmful fishing subsidies that 
contribute to overcapacity in the world's commercial fishing fleet and 
             lead to the overfishing of global fish stocks.

_______________________________________________________________________

                   IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES

                              May 17, 2007

 Mr. Stevens (for himself, Mr. Inouye, Mr. Cochran, Ms. Cantwell, Ms. 
 Snowe, Mr. Lott, Mrs. Murray, Ms. Murkowski, Mrs. Boxer, Mr. Sununu, 
 Ms. Landrieu, Ms. Collins, Mr. Kerry, Mr. Lautenberg, and Mr. Vitter) 
 submitted the following resolution; which was considered and agreed to

_______________________________________________________________________

                               RESOLUTION

 
     Encouraging the elimination of harmful fishing subsidies that 
contribute to overcapacity in the world's commercial fishing fleet and 
             lead to the overfishing of global fish stocks.

    Whereas 2.6 billion people in the world get at least 20 percent of 
            their total dietary animal protein intake from fish;
    Whereas the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations 
            has found that 25 percent of the world's fish population 
            are currently overexploited, depleted, or recovering from 
            overexploitation;
    Whereas scientists have estimated that populations of many large 
            predator fish such as tuna, marlin, and swordfish have been 
            overfished by foreign industrial fishing fleets;
    Whereas the global fishing fleet capacity is estimated to be 
            considerably greater than is needed to catch what the ocean 
            can sustainably produce;
    Whereas the United States Congress recognized the threat of 
            overfishing to our oceans and economy and therefore 
            included the requirement to end overfishing in United 
            States commercial fisheries by 2011 in the Magnuson-Stevens 
            Fishery Conservation and Management Reauthorization Act of 
            2006 (Public Law 109-479);
    Whereas the United States Commission on Ocean Policy and the Pew 
            Oceans Commission identified overcapitalization of the 
            global commercial fishing fleets as a major contributor to 
            the decline of economically important fish populations;
    Whereas harmful foreign fishing subsidies encourage 
            overcapitalization and overfishing, support destructive 
            fishing practices that would not otherwise be economically 
            viable, and amount to $10 to $15 billion annually, an 
            amount equivalent to 20 to 25 percent of the global 
            commercial trade in fish;
    Whereas such subsidies have also been documented to support 
            illegal, unregulated, and unreported fishing, which impacts 
            commercial fisheries in the United States and around the 
            world both economically and ecologically;
    Whereas harmful fishing subsidies are concentrated in relatively 
            few countries, putting other fishing countries, including 
            the United States, at an economic disadvantage;
    Whereas the United States is a world leader in advancing policies 
            to eliminate harmful fishing subsidies that support 
            overcapacity and promote overfishing; and
    Whereas members of the World Trade Organization, as part of the 
            Doha Development Agenda (Doha Development Round), are 
            engaged in historic negotiations to end harmful fishing 
            subsidies that contribute to overcapacity and overfishing: 
            Now, therefore, be it
    Resolved by the Senate, That the United States should continue to 
promote the elimination of harmful foreign fishing subsidies that 
promote overcapitalization, overfishing, and illegal, unregulated, and 
unreported fishing.
                                 <all>
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