105TH CONGRESS

1ST SESSION H. CON. RES. 124

CONCURRENT RESOLUTION

Expressing the sense of the Congress regarding

for other purposes.with respect to the Pacific salmon fishery, andacts of illegal aggression by Canadian fishermen
105TH CONGRESS

1ST SESSION H. CON. RES. 124

CONCURRENT RESOLUTION

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
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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 Pacific salmon fishery regulatory regimes have not

been in place since 1994 because of a lack of agreement;

Whereas an illegal fee in violation of international agreements

was assessed on United States fishermen traveling to

Alaska, and neither the United States Government nor

United States fishermen have been reimbursed 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 the good faith efforts of the United States in attempting to resolve differences under the Pacific Salmon

Treaty have not been matched, as demonstrated in particular by the rejection of continued attempts by the

United States to reach agreement and the withdrawal
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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 attention;

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 there was a failure

to act quickly to end those acts; and

Whereas those acts and that failure should be condemned:

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 recent acts of illegal aggression by Ca4 nadian fishermen with respect to the Pacific salmon

5 fishery and the slow response to those acts should be

6 condemned;

7 (2) the President should immediately take steps

8 to protect the interests of the United States with re9 spect to the Pacific salmon fishery and should not

10 tolerate threats to those interests;

11 (3) the President should use all necessary and

12 appropriate means to prevent any further illegal or

13 harassing actions against the United States or its
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1 fishermen with respect to the Pacific salmon fishery;

2 and

3 (4) negotiations with the stakeholders’ with re4 spect to the Pacific salmon fishery should resume in

5 good faith in the fall following the 1997 fishing sea6 son.

Passed the House of Representatives July 28, 1997.

Attest:

Clerk.