IV 
108TH CONGRESS 
2D SESSION 
H. RES. 727 
Expressing the sense of the House of Representatives regarding the policy 
of the United States at the 56th Annual Meeting of the International 
Whaling Commission. 
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 
JULY 19, 2004 
Mr. DELAHUNT (for himself, Mr. GREENWOOD, Mr. BLUMENAUER, Mr. CASE, 
Mrs. CHRISTENSEN, Mrs. DAVIS of California, Mr. DOGGETT, Mr. 
ENGLISH, Mr. FARR, Mr. FRANK of Massachusetts, Mr. GRIJALVA, Mr. 
HINCHEY, Mr. HOLDEN, Mr. KUCINICH, Ms. LEE, Mrs. MALONEY, Mr. 
MARKEY, Mrs. MCCARTHY of New York, Mr. MCGOVERN, Mr. GEORGE 
MILLER of California, Mr. NADLER, Mr. NEAL of Massachusetts, Ms. 
NORTON, Mr. OLVER, Mr. RAHALL, Mr. RENZI, Mr. STARK, Mrs. 
TAUSCHER, Mr. VAN HOLLEN, Mr. WEXLER, Mr. BERMAN, and Mr. 
EVANS) submitted the following resolution; which was referred to the 
Committee on International Relations 
RESOLUTION 
Expressing the sense of the House of Representatives regard-
ing the policy of the United States at the 56th Annual 
Meeting of the International Whaling Commission. 
Whereas whales have very low reproductive rates, making 
many whale populations extremely vulnerable to pressure 
from commercial whaling; 
Whereas because whales migrate throughout the world’s 
oceans, international cooperation is necessary to success-
fully conserve and protect whale stocks;
•HRES 727 IH 
Whereas in 1946, a significant number of countries adopted 
the International Convention for the Regulation of Whal-
ing, which established the International Whaling Com-
mission to provide for the proper conservation of whale 
stocks; 
Whereas in 2003, the Commission established a Conservation 
Committee, made up of all members of the Commission, 
for the purpose of facilitating efficient and effective co-
ordination and development of the Commission’s con-
servation recommendations and activities, which are fully 
consistent with the conservation objectives stated in the 
1946 Convention; 
Whereas the Commission adopted a moratorium on commer-
cial whaling in 1982 in order to conserve and promote 
the recovery of whale stocks, many of which had been 
hunted to near extinction by the commercial whaling in-
dustry; 
Whereas the Commission designated the Indian Ocean and 
the ocean waters around Antarctica as whale sanctuaries 
to further enhance the recovery of whale stocks; 
Whereas many countries have designated waters under their 
jurisdiction as whale sanctuaries where commercial whal-
ing is prohibited, and additional regional whale sanc-
tuaries have been proposed by nations that are members 
of the Commission; 
Whereas 2 member nations currently have reservations to the 
Commission’s moratorium on commercial whaling, and 
one member nation is currently conducting commercial 
whaling operations in spite of the moratorium and the 
protests of other nations;
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Whereas the Commission has adopted several resolutions at 
recent meetings asking member nations to halt commer-
cial whaling activities conducted under reservations to the 
moratorium and to refrain from issuing special permits 
for research involving the killing of whales; 
Whereas one member nation of the Commission has made a 
reservation to the Commission’s Southern Ocean Sanc-
tuary and continues to conduct unnecessary lethal sci-
entific whaling in the waters of the sanctuary and in the 
North Pacific Ocean; 
Whereas whale meat and blubber taken from whales killed 
pursuant to such unnecessary lethal scientific whaling is 
sold commercially, which further undermines the morato-
rium on commercial whaling; 
Whereas the Commission’s Scientific Committee has repeat-
edly expressed serious concerns about the scientific need 
for such lethal research and recognizes the importance of 
demonstrating and expanding the use of non-lethal sci-
entific research methods; 
Whereas last year one member nation unsuccessfully sought 
an exemption that would have allowed commercial whal-
ing of up to 150 minke whales and 150 Bryde’s whales, 
contrary to the moratorium and without review by the 
Scientific Committee, and continues to seek avenues to 
allow the lethal taking of whales by vessels from specific 
communities in a manner that would undermine the mor-
atorium on commercial whaling; 
Whereas more than 8,500 whales have been killed in lethal 
scientific whaling programs since the adoption of the 
commercial whaling moratorium, and the lethal taking of 
whales under scientific permits has increased both in
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quantity and species, and now includes minke, Bryde’s, 
sei, and sperm whales; and 
Whereas both commercial whaling carried out under reserva-
tions to international agreements and lethal scientific 
whaling undermine the conservation program of the Com-
mission: Now, therefore be it 
Resolved, That it is the sense of the House of Rep-
resentatives that— 
(1) at the 56th Annual Meeting of the Inter-
national Whaling Commission the United States 
should— 
(A) remain firmly opposed to commercial 
whaling; 
(B) support the purposes and functions of 
the Conservation Committee, which provides a 
system for ensuring good governance of the 
Commission’s conservation activities; 
(C) initiate and support efforts to stop all 
activities conducted under reservations to the 
Commission’s moratorium on commercial whal-
ing or whale sanctuaries; 
(D) oppose the unnecessary lethal taking 
of whales for scientific purposes, seek support 
for expanding the use of non-lethal research 
methods, and work to end the sale of whale
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meat and blubber from whales killed for unnec-
essary lethal scientific research; 
(E) seek the Commission’s support for spe-
cific efforts by member nations to end the trade 
in whale meat; 
(F) support the permanent protection of 
whale populations through the establishment of 
additional whale sanctuaries in which commer-
cial whaling is prohibited; and 
(G) support efforts to expand the collection 
of data on whale populations, monitor and re-
duce whale bycatch and other incidental im-
pacts, and otherwise expand whale conservation 
efforts; and 
(2) the United States should make full use of 
all appropriate diplomatic mechanisms, relevant 
international laws and agreements, and other appro-
priate means to implement the policies set forth in 
paragraph (1). 
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