H. Con. Res. 169 Agreed to November 16, 1993

One Hundred Third Congress

of the

United States of America

AT THE FIRST SESSION

Begun and held at the City of Washington on Tuesday,

the fifth day of January, one thousand nine hundred and ninety-three

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 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;

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H. Con. Res. 169—2

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 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

Resolved by the House of Representatives (the Senate concurring), That it is the sense of the Congress that—

(1) the United States and the International Commission

for the Conservation of Atlantic Tunas (hereinafter referred

to as the ‘‘Commission’’) should continue to promote the conservation and management of highly migratory species, including Atlantic bluefin tuna, throughout the Atlantic Ocean and

the Mediterranean Sea;

(2) the United States should obtain commitments through

the Commission, from all countries that are signatories to the

International Convention for the Conservation of Atlantic

Tunas and that are not in compliance with all of the conservation and management recommendations and agreements for

Atlantic bluefin tuna and other highly migratory species that

have been adopted by the Commission, that those countries

will immediately comply with those recommendations and

agreements;

(3) the United States should continue to encourage all

other countries that fish for Atlantic bluefin tuna or other

highly migratory species in the Atlantic Ocean or the Mediterranean Sea to comply with the conservation and management

recommendations and agreements adopted for those species

by the Commission;

(4) if a country fishes in the Atlantic Ocean or the Mediterranean Sea for Atlantic bluefin tuna or another highly migratory species without complying with the conservation and

management recommendations and agreements adopted by the

Commission for that species, such fishing will be considered

by the Congress to diminish the effectiveness of an international

fishery conservation program, and as such will be considered

by the Congress to be certifiable under section 8(a)(1) of the

Fishermen’s Protective Act of 1967 (22 U.S.C. 1978(a)(1));

(5) the United States should encourage countries that have

significant markets for Atlantic bluefin tuna to prohibit the

importation of that species from other countries that fish for

that species without regard for the conservation and management recommendations and agreements adopted by the

Commission;

(6) the United States should continue to explore, through

the Commission, the appropriateness of working hypotheses

of the Commission that stocks of highly migratory species in

the Atlantic Ocean can be delineated by lines of latitude or

longitude, including specifically that there are 2 stocks of Atlantic bluefin tuna delineated by the line 45 degrees west longitude; and

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H. Con. Res. 169—3

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

an agreement to ensure that if the Commission uses any line

to divide the stock of Atlantic bluefin tuna for management

purposes and adopts for that stock any conservation and

management recommendation or agreement for one side of

the line that is more restrictive than the conservation and

management recommendations and agreements adopted by the

Commission for that stock for the other side of the line, then

any fishing for Atlantic bluefin tuna within 10 degrees of the

line shall be conducted in compliance with that more restrictive

recommendation or agreement.

Attest:

Clerk of the House of Representatives.

Attest:

Secretary of the Senate.

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