IV 

111TH CONGRESS 

2D SESSION H. RES. 1390 

Expressing the sense of the House of Representatives that the United States 

should use its position of global leadership to improve and strengthen 

whale conservation efforts and to ensure that commercial, scientific, 

and other lethal whaling does not occur for any purpose other than 

aboriginal subsistence. 

IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 

MAY 25, 2010 

Mr. BAIRD submitted the following resolution; which was referred to the 

Committee on Foreign Affairs 

RESOLUTION 

Expressing the sense of the House of Representatives that 

the United States should use its position of global leadership to improve and strengthen whale conservation efforts and to ensure that commercial, scientific, and other 

lethal whaling does not occur for any purpose other 

than aboriginal subsistence. 

Whereas whales were killed for commercial purposes for hundreds of years, with some whale stocks hunted to near extinction; 

Whereas the International Convention for the Regulation of 

Whaling was signed in 1946 and created the International Whaling Commission to conserve and manage 

the great whales; 


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•HRES 1390 IH 

Whereas the International Whaling Commission periodically 

amends the Schedule to the Convention, which lists measures that govern the conduct of whaling; 

Whereas amendments to the Schedule to the Convention 

must be based on scientific findings and require a threequarters majority vote of the Commission; 

Whereas the 1986 moratorium on commercial whaling had an 

immediate beneficial impact on whale populations, but 

over time loopholes in the moratorium have allowed for 

increased commercial hunting; 

Whereas 35,000 whales have been hunted and killed since the 

moratorium began; 

Whereas the divide between the 88 member countries of the 

International Whaling Commission has prevented compromise, and has allowed for more than 85 percent of 

global whaling to remain unregulated by the international 

monitoring and control requirements of the International 

Whaling Commission; 

Whereas whales are of great aesthetic and scientific interest 

to mankind and are a vital part of the marine ecosystem; 

Whereas as long-lived and slow-breeding mammals, whales 

are particularly vulnerable to the long-lasting effects of 

overexploitation, and many whale stocks have not recovered from such past exploitation; 

Whereas whales face an uncertain future due to a variety of 

threats, including ozone depletion, chemical and noise 

pollution, marine debris, vessel strikes, entanglement with 

fishing gear, prey depletion, increasing offshore industrial 

development, and escalating threats from climate change, 

including ocean acidification; 


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•HRES 1390 IH 

Whereas because whales migrate throughout the oceans of 

the world, international cooperation is required to successfully conserve and protect them; and 

Whereas the United States is committed to improving the 

conservation of whales and ending scientific and commercial whaling: Now, therefore, be it 

1 Resolved, That it is the sense of the House of Rep2 resentatives that the United States should use its position 

3 of global leadership to improve and strengthen whale con4 servation efforts and to ensure that commercial, scientific, 

5 and other lethal whaling does not occur for any purpose 

6 other than aboriginal subsistence. 

Æ 


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