IV 

110TH CONGRESS 

1ST SESSION H. CON. RES. 94 

Encouraging the elimination of harmful fishing subsidies that contribute to 

overcapacity in commercial fishing fleets worldwide and that lead to 

the overfishing of global fish stocks. 

IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 

MARCH 20, 2007 

Ms. BORDALLO submitted the following concurrent resolution; which was 

referred to the Committee on Natural Resources 

CONCURRENT RESOLUTION 

Encouraging the elimination of harmful fishing subsidies that 

contribute to overcapacity in commercial fishing fleets 

worldwide and that lead to the overfishing of global 

fish stocks. 

Whereas nearly 1,000,000,000 people around the world depend on fish as their primary source of dietary protein; 

Whereas the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization has found that 75 percent of the world’s fish populations are currently over exploited, fully exploited, significantly depleted, or recovering from overexploitation; 

Whereas scientists have estimated that a significant percentage of big predator fish such as tuna, marlin, and swordfish are gone from the world’s oceans and warn of a globVerDate Aug 31 2005 23:09 Mar 21, 2007 Jkt 059200 PO 00000 Frm 00001 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6300 E:\BILLS\HC94.IH HC94

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•HCON 94 IH 

al collapse within this century of all species now fished 

if current trends in overfishing are not reversed; 

Whereas the global fishing fleet capacity is estimated to be 

up to 250 percent greater than is needed to catch what 

the ocean can sustainably produce; 

Whereas the Congress recognized the threat of overfishing to 

our oceans and economy and therefore included the requirement to end overfishing in the United States by 

2011 in the Magnuson-Stevens Fishery Conservation and 

Management Reauthorization Act of 2006 (Public Law 

109–479); 

Whereas the United States Commission on Ocean Policy and 

the Pew Oceans Commission identified overcapitalization 

of the global fishing fleets as a major contributor to the 

widespread depletion of economically important fish populations; 

Whereas harmful fishing subsidies encourage overcapitalization and overfishing; support destructive fishing practices 

such as high seas trawling that would not otherwise be 

economically viable; and amount to billions of dollars annually; 

Whereas such subsidies have also been documented to support illegal, unregulated, and unreported fishing, which 

impacts commercial fisheries in the United States and 

around the world both economically and ecologically, and 

could lead to the irreversible collapse of the world’s fisheries; 

Whereas harmful fishing subsidies are concentrated in relatively few countries, putting other fishing countries, including the United States, at an economic disadvantage; 


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•HCON 94 IH 

Whereas the United States is a world leader in advancing 

policies to eliminate harmful fishing subsidies that support overcapacity and promote overfishing; and 

Whereas a wide range of countries are currently engaged in 

historic negotiations to end harmful fishing subsidies that 

contribute to overcapacity and overfishing: Now, therefore, be it 

1 Resolved by the House of Representatives (the Senate 

2 concurring), That the United States should continue to 

3 promote the elimination of harmful fishing subsidies that 

4 promote overcapitalization; overfishing; illegal, unregu5 lated, and unreported fishing; and destructive fishing 

6 practices that would not otherwise be economically viable. 

Æ 


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