III 

109TH CONGRESS 

2D SESSION S. RES. 610 

Expressing the sense of the Senate that the United States should promote 

the adoption of, and the United Nations should adopt, a resolution 

at its October meeting to protect the living resources of the high seas 

from destructive, illegal, unreported, and unregulated fishing practices. 

IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES 

SEPTEMBER 30 (legislative day, SEPTEMBER 29), 2006 

Mr. STEVENS (for himself, Mr. INOUYE, Mr. LUGAR, Mr. WARNER, Ms. MURKOWSKI, Mr. CHAFEE, Mr. DEMINT, Mr. MCCAIN, Ms. SNOWE, Ms. COLLINS, Mr. SMITH, Mr. LAUTENBERG, Mrs. BOXER, Mr. DODD, Mr. 

MENENDEZ, Ms. CANTWELL, Ms. LANDRIEU, Mr. JEFFORDS, Mr. COCHRAN, Mr. LIEBERMAN, Mr. KERRY, and Mrs. FEINSTEIN) submitted the 

following resolution; which was referred to the Committee on Foreign Relations 

RESOLUTION 

Expressing the sense of the Senate that the United States 

should promote the adoption of, and the United Nations 

should adopt, a resolution at its October meeting to 

protect the living resources of the high seas from destructive, illegal, unreported, and unregulated fishing 

practices. 

Whereas it is of paramount importance to the United 

States and all nations to ensure the protection, conservation, and sustainable management of high seas 

living marine resources; 


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•SRES 610 IS 

Whereas fisheries of the high seas annually generate hundreds of millions of dollars in economic activity and 

support thousands of jobs in the United States and 

its territories as well as nations throughout the 

world; 

Whereas the high seas constitute a globally significant 

reservoir of marine biodiversity, and compounds derived from organisms found on the high seas show 

promise for the treatment of deadly diseases such as 

cancer and asthma; 

Whereas the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization reports that a growing number of high seas 

fish stocks important to the United States and the 

world are overfished or depleted; 

Whereas the United Nations has called for urgent action 

to address the impact of high seas fishing practices 

that have adverse impacts on vulnerable marine species and habitats; 

Whereas destructive, illegal, unreported, and unregulated 

fishing by vessels flying non-United States flags 

threatens high seas fisheries and the habitats that 

support them; 

Whereas nations whose fleets conduct destructive, illegal, 

unreported, and unregulated high seas fishing enjoy 

an unfair competitive advantage over United States 

fishermen, who must comply with the rigorous conservation and management requirements of the Magnuson Stevens Fishery Conservation and Management Act and other laws in order to conserve exhaustible natural resources; and 


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Whereas international cooperation is necessary to address 

destructive, illegal, unreported, and unregulated fishing which harms the sustainability of high seas living 

marine resources and the United States fishing industry: Now, therefore, be it 

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

2 (1) the United States should continue to dem3 onstrate international leadership and responsibility 

4 regarding the conservation and sustainable use of 

5 high seas living marine resources by vigorously pro6 moting the adoption of a resolution at this year’s 

7 61st session of the United Nations General Assem8 bly calling on all nations to protect vulnerable ma9 rine habitats by prohibiting their vessels from engag10 ing in destructive fishing activity in areas of the 

11 high seas where there are no applicable conservation 

12 or management measures or in areas with no appli13 cable international fishery management organization 

14 or agreement, until such time as conservation and 

15 management measures consistent with the Magnu16 son-Stevens Act, the United Nations Fish Stocks 

17 Agreement, and other relevant instruments are 

18 adopted and implemented to regulate such vessels 

19 and fisheries; and 

20 (2) the United States calls upon the member 

21 nations of the United Nations to adopt a resolution 


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•SRES 610 IS 

1 at its October meeting to protect the living resources 

2 of the high seas from destructive, illegal, unreported, 

3 and unregulated fishing practices. 

Æ 


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