IV

106TH CONGRESS

1ST SESSION H. CON. RES. 189

Expressing the sense of the Congress regarding the wasteful and

unsportsmanlike practice known as shark finning.

IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

SEPTEMBER 27, 1999

Mr. CUNNINGHAM (for himself, Mr. SAXTON, Mr. UNDERWOOD, Mr. BILBRAY,

and Mr. GILCHREST) submitted the following concurrent resolution;

which was referred to the Committee on Resources

CONCURRENT RESOLUTION

Expressing the sense of the Congress regarding the wasteful

and unsportsmanlike practice known as shark finning.

Whereas shark finning is the practice of removing the fins of

a shark and dumping its carcass back into the ocean;

Whereas demand for shark fins is driving dramatic increases

in shark fishing and mortality around the world;

Whereas the life history characteristics of sharks, including

slow growth, late sexual maturity, and the production of

few young, make them particularly vulnerable to overfishing and necessitate careful management of shark fisheries;

Whereas shark finning is not prohibited in the waters of the

Pacific Ocean in which fisheries are managed by the Federal Government;
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•HCON 189 IH

Whereas according to the National Marine Fisheries Service,

the number of sharks killed in Central Pacific Ocean and

Western Pacific Ocean fisheries rose from 2,289 in 1991

to 60,857 in 1998, an increase of over 2,500 percent, and

continues to rise unabated;

Whereas of the 60,857 sharks landed in Central Pacific

Ocean and Western Pacific Ocean fisheries in 1998, 98.7

percent, or 60,085, were killed for their fins;

Whereas shark fins comprise only between 1 percent and 5

percent of the weight of a shark, and shark finning results in the unconscionable waste of 95 percent to 99

percent (by weight) of a valuable public resource;

Whereas the National Marine Fisheries Service has stated

that shark finning is wasteful, should be stopped, and is

contrary to United States fisheries conservation and

management policies;

Whereas shark finning is prohibited in the United States exclusive economic zone of the Atlantic Ocean, the Gulf of

Mexico, and the Caribbean;

Whereas the practice of shark finning in the waters of the

United States in the Pacific Ocean is inconsistent with

the Magnuson-Stevens Fishery Conservation and Management Act, the Federal Fishery Management Plan for

Atlantic Tunas, Swordfish, and Sharks, and the shark

finning prohibitions that apply in State waters in the Atlantic Ocean and Pacific Ocean;

Whereas the United States is a global leader in shark management, and the practice of shark finning in the waters

of the United States in the Pacific Ocean is inconsistent

with United States international obligations, including

the Code of Conduct for Responsible Fishing of the Food
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•HCON 189 IH

and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations, the

International Plan of Action for Sharks of such organization, and the United Nation’s Agreement on Straddling

Stocks and Highly Migratory Species; and

Whereas establishment of a prohibition on the practice of

shark finning in the Central Pacific Ocean and Western

Pacific Ocean would result in the immediate reduction of

waste and could reduce shark mortality by as much as

85 percent: Now, therefore, be it

1 Resolved by the House of Representatives (the Senate

2 concurring), That it is the sense of the Congress that—

3 (1) the practice of removing the fins of a shark

4 and dumping its carcass back into the ocean, com5 monly referred to as shark finning, is a wasteful and

6 unsportsmanlike practice that could lead to over7 fishing of shark resources;

8 (2) the Western Pacific Fishery Management

9 Council, the State of Hawaii, and the National Ma10 rine Fisheries Service should promptly and perma11 nently end the practice of shark finning in all Fed12 eral and State waters in the Central Pacific Ocean

13 and Western Pacific Ocean; and

14 (3) the Secretary of State should continue to

15 strongly advocate for the coordinated management

16 of sharks and the eventual elimination of shark fin17 ning in all other waters.

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