I
106TH CONGRESS
1ST SESSION
H. R. 3078
To direct the Secretary of Commerce, acting through the National Marine
Fisheries Service, to study the practice of shark finning in United States
waters of the Central and Western Pacific Ocean and the effects that
practice is having on shark populations in the Pacific Ocean.
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
OCTOBER 14, 1999
Mr. FALEOMAVAEGA introduced the following bill; which was referred to the
Committee on Resources
A BILL
To direct the Secretary of Commerce, acting through the
National Marine Fisheries Service, to study the practice
of shark finning in United States waters of the Central
and Western Pacific Ocean and the effects that practice
is having on shark populations in the Pacific Ocean.
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representa-
tives of the United States of America in Congress assembled,
SECTION 1. FINDINGS.
The Congress finds the following:
(1) Shark finning is the practice of removing
the fins of a shark and disposing of its carcass.
(2) Shark finning is wasteful, since fins typi-
cally comprise only one to five percent of a shark’s
bodyweight and 95 to 99 percent of the shark is dis-
posed of.
(3) The National Marine Fisheries Service has
stated repeatedly that shark finning must be
stopped, as it is contrary to the fisheries conserva-
tion and management policies of the United States
under both domestic and international law. To that
end, shark finning is already prohibited in the Fed-
eral waters of the Atlantic Ocean, the Gulf of Mex-
ico, and the Caribbean, as well as in the State wa-
ters of many coastal States.
(4) In the Central and Western Pacific Oceans,
the number of sharks killed increased by more than
2000 percent between 1991 and 1998. Of the more
than 60,000 sharks killed in such waters in 1998,
more than 98 percent were killed solely for their
fins.
(5) The unique biological characteristics of
sharks, including their slow rate of growth, their late
sexual maturity, and the small number of offspring
born per shark each year, make shark species par-
ticularly vulnerable to over-fishing.
(6) The Western Pacific Regional Fishery Man-
agement Council and the National Marine Fisheries
Service have completed a study of the socio-cultural
importance of shark finning in the Western Pacific
Ocean.
(7) Shark finning is of some economic impor-
tance to the United States fishing industry in the
Central and Western Pacific Ocean.
(8) There is insufficient scientific data to deter-
mine if the current level of shark finning will result
in a sustainable fishery.
SEC. 3. STUDY OF SHARK FINNING IN THE CENTRAL AND
WESTERN PACIFIC OCEAN.
(a) STUDY.—The Secretary of Commerce, acting
through the National Marine Fisheries Service, shall study
the practice of shark finning in United States waters of
the Central and Western Pacific Ocean and the effects
that practice is having on shark populations in the Pacific
Ocean. The study shall include data collection and analysis
regarding the following:
(1) The types and number of sharks in United
States waters of the Central and Western Pacific
Ocean, and whether these numbers are relatively
stable or changing significantly.
(2) The types and number of sharks killed per
year in such waters.
(3) Any trends in current shark finning activity
in those waters.
(4) For each species of shark in such waters,
the estimated level of shark kills that would produce
the maximum sustainable yield.
(5) How to best manage shark fisheries in such
waters.
(b) REPORT.—The Secretary shall report to the Con-
gress the findings, conclusions, and recommendations of
the study under subsection (a) by not later than October
1, 2000.
Æ