III 

110TH CONGRESS 

1ST SESSION H. CON. RES. 229 

IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES 

NOVEMBER 14, 2007 

Received and referred to the Committee on Commerce, Science, and 

Transportation 

CONCURRENT RESOLUTION 

Expressing the sense of the Congress that the United States 

should 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 should pursue strengthened conservation and 

management measures to facilitate the recovery of the 

Atlantic bluefin tuna, 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 (hereinafter referred to as ‘‘the Convention’’) was signed in 1966; 


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Whereas the Convention established the International Commission for the Conservation of Atlantic Tunas (hereinafter referred to as ‘‘the Commission’’) to coordinate 

international research and develop conservation and management recommendations on 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 two Atlantic bluefin 

tuna stocks, with one occurring west of 45 degree west 

longitude (hereinafter referred to as the ‘‘western Atlantic stock’’) and the other occurring east of 45 degree west 

longitude (hereinafter referred to as the ‘‘eastern Atlantic 

and Mediterranean stock’’); 

Whereas since 1981, the Commission has adopted additional 

and more restrictive conservation and management recommendations for the western Atlantic stock, and these 

recommendations have been implemented by nations fishing west of 45 degree west longitude; 

Whereas despite adoption and full implementation of a 

science-based rebuilding program for the western Atlantic 

stock by countries fishing west of 45 degree west longitude, catches and catch rates remain very low; 

Whereas in contrast to the conservation and management 

measures implemented for the western Atlantic stock, 

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terranean stock have been consistently set at levels significantly above scientific recommendations intended to 

maintain bluefin tuna populations at levels that will permit the maximum sustainable catch; 

Whereas compliance with eastern Atlantic and Mediterranean 

stock quotas by parties to the Convention that harvest 

that stock has been very poor, most recently with harvests exceeding such total allowable catch levels by over 

50 percent for each of the last 4 years; 

Whereas poor management and compliance with recommendations for the eastern Atlantic and Mediterranean stock are of grave concern because the condition of 

the eastern Atlantic and Mediterranean stock could adversely affect recovery of the western Atlantic stock due 

to mixing between the two stocks; 

Whereas recent scientific data shows considerable mixing of 

the two stocks and additional research on stock mixing 

will improve the understanding of the relationship between the two stocks and the fisheries for such stocks, 

which will assist in the management of these species 

throughout their ranges; 

Whereas poor data reporting on eastern Atlantic and Mediterranean stock quotas has frequently thwarted efforts by 

the Commission to assign quota overharvests to specific 

countries; 

Whereas many Commission members fishing east of 45 degree west longitude do not comply with other Commission 

recommendations to control eastern Atlantic and Mediterranean bluefin tuna fisheries and conserve this overfished resource and, more generally, lack of compliance 


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with Commission recommendations is an ongoing problem; 

Whereas the Commission’s Standing Committee on Research 

and Statistics (hereinafter referred to as ‘‘SCRS’’) noted 

in its 2006 report that the fishing mortality rate for the 

eastern Atlantic and Mediterranean stock may be more 

than three times the level that would permit the stock to 

stabilize at the maximum sustainable catch level, and 

continuing 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 SCRS 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 recovery; 

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’’ (hereinafter referred to as the ‘‘Recovery 

Plan’’) containing a wide range of management and monitoring and control measures designed to facilitate the recovery of the eastern Atlantic and Mediterranean bluefin 

tuna stock; and 

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 tunaharvesting countries has been poor, reflecting a businessas-usual attitude from the countries harvesting this stock 

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ment showing a high risk of a fishery and stock collapse: 

Now, therefore, be it 

1 Resolved by the House of Representatives (the Senate 

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

3 United States, through the International Commission for 

4 the Conservation of Atlantic Tunas (hereinafter in this 

5 concurrent resolution referred to as the ‘‘Commission’’), 

6 should— 

7 (1) pursue a review and assessment of compli8 ance with conservation and management measures 

9 adopted by the Commission and in effect for the 

10 2006 eastern Atlantic and Mediterranean bluefin 

11 tuna fishery, occurring east of 45 degree west lon12 gitude, and other fisheries that are subject to the ju13 risdiction of the Commission, including data collec14 tion and reporting requirements; 

15 (2) seek to address noncompliance by nations 

16 with such measures through appropriate actions, in17 cluding, as appropriate, deducting a proportion of a 

18 future quota for a country to compensate for such 

19 country exceeding its quota in prior years; 

20 (3) pursue a meaningful discussion of the im21 plementation and effectiveness of the Commission 

22 recommendation entitled ‘‘Recommendation by 

23 ICCAT to Establish a Multi-Annual Recovery Plan 

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1 terranean’’ (Recommendation 06–05), including 

2 seeking detailed explanations from Commission 

3 members that have failed to fully implement the 

4 terms of the recommendation; and 

5 (4) seek to strengthen the conservation and 

6 management of the eastern Atlantic and Mediterra7 nean bluefin tuna by making recommendations to 

8 halt the decline of the stock and begin to rebuild it. 

Passed the House of Representatives November 13, 

2007. 

Attest: LORRAINE C. MILLER, 

Clerk. 


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