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[Congressional Bills 105th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H. Con. Res. 124 Introduced in House (IH)]

105th CONGRESS
  1st Session
H. CON. RES. 124

    Expressing the sense of the Congress regarding acts of illegal 
  aggression by Canadian fishermen with respect to the Pacific salmon 
                    fishery, and for other purposes.

_______________________________________________________________________

                    IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                             July 25, 1997

    Mr. Young of Alaska (for himself and Mr. Saxton) submitted the 
following concurrent resolution; which was referred to the Committee on 
Resources, and in addition to the Committee on International Relations, 
for a period to be subsequently determined by the Speaker, in each case 
for consideration of such provisions as fall within the jurisdiction of 
                        the committee concerned

_______________________________________________________________________

                         CONCURRENT RESOLUTION

 
    Expressing the sense of the Congress regarding acts of illegal 
  aggression by Canadian fishermen with respect to the Pacific salmon 
                    fishery, and for other purposes.

Whereas Pacific salmon migrate across international boundaries, allowing United 
        States salmon stocks and Canadian salmon stocks to intermingle as they 
        travel through the waters of the North Pacific Ocean;
Whereas after many years of negotiations, in 1985 the United States and Canada 
        signed the Pacific Salmon Treaty based on a primary principle of 
        conservation and a secondary principle of equity;
Whereas the United States and Canada formed the Pacific Salmon Commission to 
        implement the Pacific Salmon Treaty;
Whereas the Pacific Salmon Commission does not regulate the Pacific salmon 
        fishery, but provides regulatory advice and recommendations to the 
        United States and Canada;
Whereas since the signing of the Pacific Salmon Treaty, the United States and 
        Canada have not agreed on the definition of ``equity'' for purposes of 
        the principle of equity underlying the Treaty, and this disagreement has 
        created a rift between the 2 governments and the regional stakeholders 
        in the Pacific salmon fishery;
Whereas the Government of Canada has refused to participate in the Pacific 
        Salmon Commission process, and Pacific salmon fishery regimes have not 
        been in place since 1994;
Whereas the Government of Canada, in protest over the lack of agreement 
        regarding various issues under the Pacific Salmon Treaty, in 1994 
        assessed on United States fishermen traveling to Alaska an illegal fee 
        in violation of international agreements, and has not reimbursed the 
        United States Government or United States fishermen for that fee;
Whereas since 1994, the United States and Canada have used special negotiators, 
        a mediation process, and the current stakeholders process to attempt to 
        resolve past disputes and negotiate annual and long-term Pacific salmon 
        fishery regimes;
Whereas Canada has failed to match the good faith efforts of the United States 
        in attempting to resolve differences under the Pacific Salmon Treaty, in 
        particular by rejecting continued attempts to reach agreement and 
        withdrawing from negotiations in June 1997 when an agreement seemed 
        imminent;
Whereas Canadian fishermen have been frustrated with their own government's 
        effort to resolve the Pacific Salmon Treaty disputes and have used the 
        harassment of United States citizens as a way to get the attention of 
        the Government of Canada;
Whereas Canadian fishermen, in protest over the lack of an agreement regarding 
        various issues under the Pacific Salmon Treaty, recently undertook acts 
        of illegal aggression against United States citizens by blocking the 
        passage of a United States vessel, and the Government of Canada failed 
        to act quickly to end those acts; and
Whereas those acts and that failure should be condemned: Now, therefore, be it
    Resolved by the House of Representatives (the Senate concurring), 
That it is the sense of the Congress that--
            (1) the recent acts of illegal aggression by Canadian 
        fishermen with respect to the Pacific salmon fishery and the 
        slow response of the Government of Canada to those acts should 
        be condemned;
            (2) the President should immediately take steps to protect 
        the interests of the United States with respect to the Pacific 
        salmon fishery and should not tolerate threats to those 
        interests from the action or inaction of a foreign government 
        or its citizens;
            (3) the President should use all necessary and appropriate 
        means to compel the Government of Canada to prevent any further 
        illegal or harassing actions against the United States or its 
        fishermen with respect to the Pacific salmon fishery; and
            (4) the Government of Canada should resume the 
        stakeholders' negotiations with respect to the Pacific salmon 
        fishery in the fall following the 1997 fishing season in an 
        honest and forthright manner.
                                 <all>
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