IV 
109TH CONGRESS 
2D SESSION 
H. CON. RES. 441 
Expressing the sense of Congress regarding the regrettable votes cast by 
certain Caribbean countries for a resumption of commercial whaling 
at the 58th annual International Whaling Commission meeting in St. 
Kitts in June 2006. 
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 
JUNE 29, 2006 
Mr. DEFAZIO (for himself, Mr. RAHALL, and Mr. GILCHREST) submitted the 
following concurrent resolution; which was referred to the Committee on 
International Relations, and in addition to the Committee on Ways and 
Means, for a period to be subsequently determined by the Speaker, in 
each case for consideration of such provisions as fall within the jurisdic-
tion of the committee concerned 
CONCURRENT RESOLUTION 
Expressing the sense of Congress regarding the regrettable 
votes cast by certain Caribbean countries for a resump-
tion of commercial whaling at the 58th annual Inter-
national Whaling Commission meeting in St. Kitts in 
June 2006. 
Whereas whales have very low reproductive rates, which 
makes many whale species extremely vulnerable to pres-
sure from whaling, and many whale species were hunted 
to near extinction by the commercial whaling industry; 
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•HCON 441 IH 
Whereas whales migrate throughout the world’s oceans, and 
international cooperation is required to successfully con-
serve and protect whales; 
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 
populations; 
Whereas the International Whaling Commission adopted a 
moratorium on commercial whaling in 1982 to conserve 
and promote the recovery of whale populations and later 
established the Indian Ocean and part of the ocean 
around the Antarctic as a whale sanctuary to further en-
hance the recovery of whale populations; 
Whereas, at the 58th annual International Whaling Commis-
sion meeting in St. Kitts in June 2006, the Caribbean 
countries of Antigua and Barbuda, Dominica, Grenada, 
St. Kitts and Nevis, St. Lucia, and St. Vincent and the 
Grenadines voted with pro-whaling interests to support 
the resumption of commercial whaling by claiming the 
moratorium is no longer necessary, to allow Japan to 
hunt 150 minke whales, to remove conservation efforts 
directed at small whales and dolphins, and to implement 
secret ballots; 
Whereas five of these six Caribbean countries, St. Vincent 
and the Grenadines abstained, also voted to delete the 
Southern Ocean Sanctuary; 
Whereas a majority of tourists to these six Caribbean coun-
tries come from the United States, and the American 
people are overwhelmingly opposed to the resumption of 
commercial whaling; 
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•HCON 441 IH 
Whereas thirty species of whale and dolphins can be found 
in the Caribbean, and commercial enterprises offering 
whale watching tours began in the Caribbean in the mid- 
1980s and has rapidly expanded; 
Whereas the revenue attributable to whale watching far ex-
ceeds the revenue attributable to whaling; 
Whereas, by supporting the resumption of commercial whal-
ing, a country could adversely affect its international 
image and jeopardize its tourism industry; and 
Whereas, in May 2006, Caribbean environmental leaders, 
whale watch operators, and tourism industry representa-
tives met in Trinidad to voice their concern and opposi-
tion to whaling and to challenge their governments to 
change their pro-whaling positions: Now, therefore, be it 
Resolved by the House of Representatives (the Senate 
concurring), That it is the sense of Congress that— 
(1) the Caribbean countries of Antigua and 
Barbuda, Dominica, Grenada, St. Kitts and Nevis, 
St. Lucia, and St. Vincent and the Grenadines 
should— 
(A) renounce their support for a resump-
tion of commercial whaling and instead support 
fledgling whale watching operations in the Car-
ibbean; 
(B) join with the United States and a ma-
jority of other countries to support strong con-
servation measures for whales; and 
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•HCON 441 IH 
(C) at the next annual International Whal-
ing Commission meeting, oppose the resumption 
of commercial whaling, support existing sanc-
tuaries and the creation of new sanctuaries, 
support strong conservation measures for 
whales, and oppose the use of secret balloting 
at International Whaling Commission meetings; 
and 
(2) the United States should consider the posi-
tion of these Caribbean countries regarding commer-
cial whaling when considering any future foreign aid 
to, or trade agreements with, these countries. 
Æ 
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