103D CONGRESS

1ST SESSION H. CON. RES. 169

CONCURRENT RESOLUTION

To express the sense of the Congress that the

purposes.Conservation of Atlantic Tunas, and for otherspecies by the International Commission for theAtlantic bluefin tuna and other highly migratoryrecommendations and agreements adopted forcountries with the conservation and managementUnited States should seek compliance by all
103D CONGRESS

1ST SESSION H. CON. RES. 169

CONCURRENT RESOLUTION

Whereas Atlantic bluefin tuna are a valuable commercial and

recreational fishery of the United States;

Whereas many countries, including the United States, fish for

Atlantic bluefin tuna and other highly migratory species

in the Atlantic Ocean and the Mediterranean Sea;

Whereas the International Commission for the Conservation

of Atlantic Tunas (hereinafter referred to as the ‘‘Commission’’), is the international entity established to adopt

recommendations and develop international agreements

for the conservation and management of Atlantic bluefin

tuna and other highly migratory species in the Atlantic

Ocean and the Mediterranean Sea;

Whereas in the last 25 years Atlantic bluefin tuna stocks

have declined from historic levels;

Whereas, for management purposes, the Commission has

adopted a working hypothesis of 2 stocks of Atlantic

bluefin tuna: a western stock found in the Atlantic Ocean

west of 45 degrees west longitude (hereinafter referred to

as the ‘‘45 degree line’’), and an eastern stock found in

the Atlantic Ocean east of the 45 degree line and in the

Mediterranean Sea;

Whereas the existing scientific evidence is inconclusive with

respect to the working hypothesis of 2 stocks, the extent
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to which each of the hypothesized stocks migrates across

the 45 degree line is unknown, and the 45 degree line is

considered to be arbitrary;

Whereas the Commission adopted conservation and management recommendations in 1974 to ensure the recovery

and sustainability of all Atlantic bluefin tuna throughout

the Atlantic Ocean and the Mediterranean Sea;

Whereas, in recent years, the Commission has adopted additional, more restrictive conservation and management

recommendations for Atlantic bluefin tuna, for countries

that fish for Atlantic bluefin tuna west of the 45 degree

line;

Whereas the United States and other countries that are

members of the Commission and that fish west of the 45

degree line have implemented all conservation and management recommendations for Atlantic bluefin tuna

adopted by the Commission that apply west of the 45 degree line;

Whereas many other countries that are members of the Commission do not comply with conservation and management recommendations for Atlantic bluefin tuna adopted

by the Commission that apply east of the 45 degree line

and in the Mediterranean Sea;

Whereas this continuing failure to comply east of the 45 degree line and in the Mediterranean Sea by countries that

are members of the Commission will undermine the recovery of Atlantic bluefin tuna stocks;

Whereas recent large increases in the catch of Atlantic

bluefin tuna within 100 miles east of the 45 degree line

by countries that are members of the Commission could

be having a negative impact on the recovery of Atlantic
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•HCON 169 EH

bluefin tuna and probably do not comply with recommendations of the Commission; and

Whereas countries that are not members of the Commission

are having a negative impact on the recovery of Atlantic

bluefin tuna stocks by fishing throughout the Atlantic

Ocean and the Mediterranean Sea without regard for

conservation and management recommendations adopted

by the Commission: 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 United States and the International

4 Commission for the Conservation of Atlantic Tunas

5 (hereinafter referred to as the ‘‘Commission’’)

6 should continue to promote the conservation and

7 management of highly migratory species, including

8 Atlantic bluefin tuna, throughout the Atlantic Ocean

9 and the Mediterranean Sea;

10 (2) the United States should obtain commit11 ments through the Commission, from all countries

12 that are signatories to the International Convention

13 for the Conservation of Atlantic Tunas and that are

14 not in compliance with all of the conservation and

15 management recommendations and agreements for

16 Atlantic bluefin tuna and other highly migratory

17 species that have been adopted by the Commission,

18 that those countries will immediately comply with

19 those recommendations and agreements;
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1 (3) the United States should continue to en2 courage all other countries that fish for Atlantic

3 bluefin tuna or other highly migratory species in the

4 Atlantic Ocean or the Mediterranean Sea to comply

5 with the conservation and management recommenda6 tions and agreements adopted for those species by

7 the Commission;

8 (4) if a country fishes in the Atlantic Ocean or

9 the Mediterranean Sea for Atlantic bluefin tuna or

10 another highly migratory species without complying

11 with the conservation and management recommenda12 tions and agreements adopted by the Commission

13 for that species, such fishing will be considered by

14 the Congress to diminish the effectiveness of an

15 international fishery conservation program, and as

16 such will be considered by the Congress to be certifi17 able under section 8(a)(1) of the Fishermen’s Pro18 tective Act of 1967 (22 U.S.C. 1978(a)(1));

19 (5) the United States should encourage coun20 tries that have significant markets for Atlantic

21 bluefin tuna to prohibit the importation of that spe22 cies from other countries that fish for that species

23 without regard for the conservation and manage24 ment recommendations and agreements adopted by

25 the Commission;
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1 (6) the United States should continue to ex2 plore, through the Commission, the appropriateness

3 of working hypotheses of the Commission that stocks

4 of highly migratory species in the Atlantic Ocean

5 can be delineated by lines of latitude or longitude,

6 including specifically that there are 2 stocks of At7 lantic bluefin tuna delineated by the line 45 degrees

8 west longitude; and

9 (7) the United States should seek, through the

10 Commission, an agreement to ensure that if the

11 Commission uses any line to divide the stock of At12 lantic bluefin tuna for management purposes and

13 adopts for that stock any conservation and manage14 ment recommendation or agreement for one side of

15 the line that is more restrictive than the conserva16 tion and management recommendations and agree17 ments adopted by the Commission for that stock for

18 the other side of the line, then any fishing for Atlan19 tic bluefin tuna within 10 degrees of the line shall
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1 be conducted in compliance with that more restric2 tive recommendation or agreement.

Passed the House of Representatives November 2,

1993.

Attest:

Clerk.