III 

110TH CONGRESS 

1ST SESSION S. RES. 368 

Expressing the sense of the Senate that, at the 20th Regular Meeting of 

the International Commission on the Conservation of Atlantic Tunas, 

the United States should pursue a moratorium on the eastern Atlantic 

and Mediterranean bluefin tuna fishery to ensure control of the fishery 

and further facilitate recovery of the stock, pursue strengthened conservation and management measures to facilitate the recovery of the Atlantic 

bluefin tuna, and seek a review of compliance by all Nations with the 

International Commission for the Conservation of Atlantic Tunas’ conservation and management recommendations for Atlantic bluefin tuna 

and other species, and for other purposes. 

IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES 

NOVEMBER 6, 2007 

Mr. KERRY (for himself, Ms. SNOWE, and Mr. STEVENS) submitted the following resolution; which was referred to the Committee on Commerce, 

Science, and Transportation 

RESOLUTION 

Expressing the sense of the Senate that, at the 20th Regular 

Meeting of the International Commission on the Conservation of Atlantic Tunas, the United States should 

pursue a moratorium on the eastern Atlantic and Mediterranean bluefin tuna fishery to ensure control of the 

fishery and further facilitate recovery of the stock, pursue strengthened conservation and management measures to facilitate the recovery of the Atlantic bluefin 

tuna, and seek a review of compliance by all Nations 

with the International Commission for the Conservation 


cnoel on PRODPC60 with BILLS
2 

•SRES 368 IS 

of Atlantic Tunas’ conservation and management recommendations for Atlantic bluefin tuna and other species, and for other purposes. 

Whereas Atlantic bluefin tuna are a valuable commercial 

and recreational fishery of the United States and 

many other countries; 

Whereas the International Convention for the Conservation of Atlantic Tunas entered into force on March 

21, 1969; 

Whereas the Convention established the International 

Commission for the Conservation of Atlantic Tunas 

to coordinate international research and develop, implement, and enforce compliance of the conservation 

and management recommendations on the Atlantic 

bluefin tuna and other highly migratory species in 

the Atlantic Ocean and the adjacent seas, including 

the Mediterranean Sea; 

Whereas in 1974, the Commission adopted its first conservation and management recommendation to ensure the sustainability of Atlantic bluefin tuna 

throughout the Atlantic Ocean and Mediterranean 

Sea, while allowing for the maximum sustainable 

catch for food and other purposes; 

Whereas in 1981, for management purposes, the Commission adopted a working hypothesis of 2 Atlantic 

bluefin tuna stocks, with 1 occurring west of 45 degrees west longitude (hereinafter referred to as the 

‘‘western Atlantic stock’’) and the other occurring 

east of 45 degrees west longitude (hereinafter referred to as the ‘‘eastern Atlantic and Mediterranean 

stock’’); 


cnoel on PRODPC60 with BILLS
3 

•SRES 368 IS 

Whereas, despite scientific recommendations intended to 

maintain bluefin tuna populations at levels that will 

permit the maximum sustainable yield and ensure the 

future of the stocks, the total allowable catch quotas 

have been consistently set at levels significantly higher than the recommended levels for the eastern Atlantic and Mediterranean stock; 

Whereas despite the establishment by the Commission of 

fishing quotas based on total allowable catch levels 

for the eastern Atlantic and Mediterranean bluefin 

tuna fishery that exceed scientific recommendations, 

compliance with such quotas by parties to the Convention that harvest that stock has been extremely 

poor, most recently with harvests exceeding such 

total allowable catch levels by more than 50 percent 

for each of the last 4 years; 

Whereas insufficient data reporting in combination with 

unreliable national catch statistics has frequently undermined efforts by the Commission to assign quota 

overharvests to specific countries; 

Whereas the failure of many Commission members fishing east of 45 degrees west longitude to comply with 

other Commission recommendations to conserve and 

control the overfished eastern Atlantic and Mediterranean bluefin tuna stock has been an ongoing 

problem; 

Whereas the Commission’s Standing Committee on Research and Statistics noted in its 2006 report that 

the fishing mortality rate for the eastern Atlantic 

and Mediterranean stock may be more than 3 times 

the level that would permit the stock to stabilize at 

the maximum sustainable catch level, and continuing 


cnoel on PRODPC60 with BILLS
4 

•SRES 368 IS 

to fish at the level of recent years ‘‘is expected to 

drive the spawning biomass to a very low level’’ giving ‘‘rise to a high risk of fishery and stock collapse’’; 

Whereas the Standing Committee has recommended that 

the annual harvest levels for eastern Atlantic and 

Mediterranean bluefin tuna be reduced from 32,000 

metric tons to approximately 15,000 metric tons to 

halt decline of the resource and initiate rebuilding, 

and the United States supported this recommendation at the 2006 Commission meeting; 

Whereas in 2006, the Commission adopted the ‘‘Recommendation by ICCAT to Establish a Multi-Annual 

Recovery Plan for Bluefin Tuna in the eastern Atlantic and Mediterranean’’ containing a wide range of 

management, monitoring, and control measures designed to facilitate the recovery of the eastern Atlantic and Mediterranean bluefin tuna stock; 

Whereas the Recovery Plan is inadequate and allows 

overfishing and stock decline to continue, and initial 

information indicates that implementation of the plan 

in 2007 by many eastern Atlantic and Mediterranean 

bluefin tuna harvesting countries has been poor; 

Whereas since 1981, the Commission has adopted additional and more restrictive conservation and management recommendations for the western Atlantic 

bluefin tuna stock, and these recommendations have 

been implemented by Nations fishing west of 45 degrees west longitude, including the United States; 

Whereas despite adopting, fully implementing, and complying with a science-based rebuilding program for 


cnoel on PRODPC60 with BILLS
5 

•SRES 368 IS 

the western Atlantic bluefin tuna stock by countries 

fishing west of 45 degrees west longitude, catches 

and catch rates remain very low; 

Whereas many scientists believe that mixing occurs between the western Atlantic bluefin tuna stock and the 

eastern Atlantic and Mediterranean stock, and as 

such, poor management and noncompliance with recommendations for one stock are likely to have an adverse effect on the other stock; and 

Whereas additional research on stock mixing will improve 

the understanding of the relationship between eastern 

and western bluefin tuna stocks and other fisheries, 

which will assist in the conservation, recovery, and 

management of the species throughout its range: 

Now, therefore, be it 

1 Resolved, That it is the sense of the Senate that the 

2 United States delegation to the 20th Regular Meeting of 

3 the International Commission for the Conservation of At4 lantic Tunas, should— 

5 (1) seek the adoption of a harvesting morato6 rium, which includes appropriate mechanisms to en7 sure compliance, on the eastern Atlantic and Medi8 terranean bluefin tuna fishery of sufficient duration 

9 to begin the process of stock recovery and allow for 

10 the development and implementation of an effective 

11 program of monitoring and control on the fishery 

12 when the moratorium ends; 


cnoel on PRODPC60 with BILLS
6 

•SRES 368 IS 

1 (2) seek to strengthen the conservation and 

2 management of the eastern Atlantic and Mediterra3 nean bluefin tuna by making recommendations to 

4 halt the decline of the stock and begin to rebuild it; 

5 (3) reevaluate the implementation, effectiveness, 

6 and relevance of the Commission recommendation 

7 entitled ‘‘Recommendation by ICCAT to Establish a 

8 Multi-Annual Recovery Plan for Bluefin Tuna in the 

9 eastern Atlantic and Mediterranean’’ (Recommenda10 tion 06–05), and seek from Commission members 

11 that have failed to fully implement the terms of the 

12 recommendations detailed justification for their lack 

13 of compliance; 

14 (4) pursue a review and assessment of compli15 ance with conservation and management measures 

16 adopted by the Commission and in effect for the 

17 2006 eastern Atlantic and Mediterranean bluefin 

18 tuna fishery, occurring east of 45 degrees west lon19 gitude, and other fisheries that are subject to the ju20 risdiction of the Commission, including data collec21 tion and reporting requirements; 

22 (5) seek to address noncompliance by parties to 

23 the Convention with such measures through appro24 priate actions, including, as appropriate, deducting a 

25 portion of a future quota for a party to compensate 


cnoel on PRODPC60 with BILLS
7 

•SRES 368 IS 

1 for such party exceeding its quota in prior years; 

2 and 

3 (6) pursue additional research on the relation4 ship between the western Atlantic and eastern At5 lantic and Mediterranean bluefin tuna stocks and 

6 the extent to which the populations intermingle. 

Æ 


cnoel on PRODPC60 with BILLS