IV

103D CONGRESS

1ST SESSION H. CON. RES. 169

To express the sense of the Congress that the United States should seek

compliance by all countries with the conservation and management recommendations for Atlantic bluefin tuna adopted by the International

Commission for the Conservation of Atlantic Tunas, and for other

purposes.

IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

OCTOBER 20, 1993

Mr. STUDDS (for himself, Mr. MANTON, Mr. YOUNG of Alaska, Mr. PALLONE,

Mr. SAXTON, and Ms. SNOWE) submitted the following concurrent resolution; which was referred to the Committee on Merchant Marine and

Fisheries

CONCURRENT RESOLUTION

To express the sense of the Congress that the United States

should seek compliance by all countries with the conservation and management recommendations for Atlantic

bluefin tuna adopted by the International Commission

for the Conservation of Atlantic Tunas, and for other

purposes.

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;
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•HCON 169 IH

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 45 degree line delineation is considered to be arbitrary, and the extent to which each of the hypothesized

stocks migrates across the 45 degree line is unknown;

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 man-
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•HCON 169 IH

agement 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 are

having a negative impact on the recovery of Atlantic

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
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1 management of Atlantic bluefin tuna throughout the

2 Atlantic Ocean and the Mediterranean Sea;

3 (2) the United States should obtain commit4 ments through the International Commission for the

5 Conservation of Atlantic Tunas, from all countries

6 that are signatories to the International Convention

7 for the Conservation of Atlantic Tunas and that are

8 not in compliance with all of the conservation and

9 management recommendations and agreements for

10 Atlantic bluefin tuna that have been adopted by the

11 Commission, that those countries will immediately

12 comply with those recommendations and agreements;

13 (3) if such a commitment is not obtained from

14 a country, or if a country continues to not comply

15 with those recommendations and agreements of the

16 Commission, fishing by that country for Atlantic

17 bluefin tuna will be considered by the Congress to

18 diminish the effectiveness of an international fishery

19 conservation program, and as such will be considered

20 by the Congress to be certifiable under section

21 8(a)(1) of the Fishermen’s Protective Act of 1967

22 (22 U.S.C. 1978(a)(1));

23 (4) the United States should continue to ex24 plore, through the Commission, the appropriateness

25 of the working hypothesis of the Commission that
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1 there are 2 stocks of Atlantic bluefin tuna delineated

2 by the line 45 degrees west longitude;

3 (5) the United States should seek through the

4 Commission an agreement to ensure that if the

5 Commission uses any line to divide the stock of At6 lantic bluefin tuna for management purposes and

7 adopts for that stock conservation and management

8 recommendations for one side of the line that are

9 more restrictive than the conservation and manage10 ment recommendations adopted by the Commission

11 for the other side of the line, then any fishing for

12 Atlantic bluefin tuna within 10 degrees of the line

13 shall be conducted in compliance with those more re14 strictive recommendations;

15 (6) the United States should continue to en16 courage all countries that fish for Atlantic bluefin

17 tuna or other highly migratory species in the Atlan18 tic Ocean or the Mediterranean Sea to become par19 ticipants in the International Convention for the

20 Conservation of Atlantic Tunas and the Commission;

21 and

22 (7) if such participation by a country is not se23 cured, the continued fishing by the country without

24 regard for the conservation and management rec25 ommendations for Atlantic bluefin tuna that are
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1 adopted by the Commission will be considered by the

2 Congress to diminish the effectiveness of an inter3 national fishery conservation program, and as such

4 will be considered by the Congress to be certifiable

5 under section 8(a)(1) of the Fishermen’s Protective

6 Act of 1967 (22 U.S.C. 1978(a)(1)).

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