IV

107TH CONGRESS

1ST SESSION H. CON. RES. 180

Expressing the sense of the Congress that the United States should reaffirm

its opposition to any commercial and lethal scientific whaling and take

significant and demonstrable actions, including at the International Whaling Commission and meetings of the Convention on International Trade

in Endangered Species, to provide protection for and conservation of

the world’s whale populations and to prevent trade in whale meat.

IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

JUNE 28, 2001

Mr. DELAHUNT (for himself, Mr. GILCHREST, Mr. GEORGE MILLER of California, and Mr. SMITH of New Jersey) submitted the following concurrent

resolution; which was referred to the Committee on International Relations

CONCURRENT RESOLUTION

Expressing the sense of the Congress that the United States

should reaffirm its opposition to any commercial and

lethal scientific whaling and take significant and demonstrable actions, including at the International Whaling

Commission and meetings of the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species, to provide protection for and conservation of the world’s whale populations and to prevent trade in whale meat.

Whereas the International Whaling Commission has adopted

a moratorium on commercial whaling, effective in 1986,
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for the protection and conservation of the world’s whale

populations;

Whereas the United States was a world leader in establishing

the moratorium on commercial whaling and continues to

support the International Whaling Commission as the appropriate forum for deciding necessary protection measures for whales;

Whereas new dangers, such as pollution, climate change and

depletion of krill and other food resources, have emerged

that threaten the future of whale populations worldwide;

Whereas certain nations have ignored the Commission’s moratorium and engaged in unauthorized commercial whaling

and lethal scientific whaling;

Whereas more than 21,000 whales have been killed for commercial and scientific purposes since the moratorium took

effect, and each year the number of whales killed increases;

Whereas the United States fully supported the successful

adoption by the International Whaling Commission of

resolutions designed to establish criteria for reviewing

proposals to take whales under scientific research permits

during the commercial whaling moratorium;

Whereas the United States has supported all resolutions

adopted by the International Whaling Commission requesting nations engaged in research whaling that fails

to meet the criteria established by the Commission to refrain from carrying out such whaling activities;

Whereas Japan, one year after the commercial whaling moratorium came into force, commenced a lethal scientific

whaling program whose apparent purpose was to avoid

Japan’s compliance with the moratorium;
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Whereas Japan continues to expand this program, most recently to include factory-ship whaling for sperm and

Bryde’s whales for the purpose of gathering information

that can readily be obtained by non-lethal means, and

which the Commission has by resolution criticized as

being unnecessary for management purposes;

Whereas on August 21, 2000, 15 nations sent a demarche to

the Government of Japan protesting Japan’s commercial

whaling activities disguised as scientific whaling, and this

international protest has had no effect on Japan’s whaling activities;

Whereas Norway continues to engage in commercial whaling

despite the moratorium and plans to kill 549 whales in

2001;

Whereas on January 16, 2001, Norway announced its intention to begin exporting whale meat to Japan, Iceland and

Peru, contrary to the ban on trade in endangered and

threatened species under the Convention on International

Trade in Endangered Species (CITES);

Whereas studies have shown that trade in whale products

permits the concealment of illegal exploitation of endangered species of whales and creates economic incentives

to increase whaling;

Whereas the United States has invoked the Pelly Amendment

to the Fisherman’s Protective Act of 1967 against Japan

and Norway on eight separate occasions for undermining

the effectiveness of the International Whaling Commission;

Whereas the latest scientific information indicates that some

whale populations have accumulated high levels of pollut-
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ants and these contaminants could threaten the recovery

of whales;

Whereas the United States has fully supported the creation

of the International Whaling Commission’s South Pacific

sanctuary to conserve whale populations; and

Whereas the American people value the world’s whale populations and strongly oppose all commercial and lethal scientific whaling: 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 the United States reaffirms its commitment to

4 opposing any commercial and lethal scientific whal5 ing and supporting the expansion of whale sanc6 tuaries;

7 the President should use all available diplomatic

8 channels to convey the United States’ opposition to

9 commercial whaling activities and lethal scientific

10 whaling;

11 at the 53rd meeting of the International Whal12 ing Commission in London, the United States should

13 strongly oppose any effort to approve the resumption

14 of commercial whaling;

15 at the 12th Conference of the Parties to the

16 Convention on International Trade in Endangered

17 Species, the United States should oppose all efforts

18 to downlist any threatened or endangered whale pop-
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1 ulation and to reopen international trade in whale

2 meat; and

3 given the current status of most whale popu4 lations, the President should consider all other ac5 tions, including bilateral negotiations and sanctions,

6 to eliminate all commercial and lethal scientific

7 whaling and prevent any trade in whale meat.

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