IV
107TH CONGRESS
2D SESSION
H. CON. RES. 370
Expressing the sense of the Congress that the United States should promote
and support the use of sound science in management decisions made
by the International Whaling Commission and remain diligent in their
efforts to protect the ability of Native people of the United States,
who have been issued quotas by the International Whaling Commission,
to continue to legally harvest whales, and for other purposes.
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
APRIL 9, 2002
Mr. YOUNG of Alaska submitted the following concurrent resolution; which
was referred to the Committee on International Relations
CONCURRENT RESOLUTION
Expressing the sense of the Congress that the United States
should promote and support the use of sound science
in management decisions made by the International
Whaling Commission and remain diligent in their efforts
to protect the ability of Native people of the United
States, who have been issued quotas by the International
Whaling Commission, to continue to legally harvest
whales, and for other purposes.
Whereas the International Whaling Commission has adopted
a moratorium on commercial whaling, effective in 1986,
which has been extended pending the development of a
revised management scheme;
•HCON 370 IH
Whereas the United States was a world leader in establishing
the moratorium on commercial whaling to protect and
conserve whale populations;
Whereas the United States should promote the use of sci-
entific information in negotiating management measures
to maintain the integrity of the International Whaling
Commission as the governing international body over
whale species;
Whereas many Alaska Natives rely on whales to provide sus-
tenance and to meet their subsistence and cultural needs;
Whereas the International Whaling Commission allocates
quotas for the Alaska Native harvest of bowhead whales;
Whereas sound science should guide the decisions of the
United States delegation in negotiating positions on reso-
lutions before the International Whaling Commission;
and
Whereas the United States needs to support the use of sound
science in management measures undertaken by the
International Whaling Commission to ensure that all
participatory nations remain parties to the Commission
and do not undertake whaling activities on their own:
Now, therefore, be it
Resolved by the House of Representatives (the Senate
concurring), That it is the sense of Congress that—
(1) the United States should remain diligent in
its efforts to protect the ability of Native people of
the United States who have been issued quotas by
the International Whaling Commission to continue
to legally harvest whales;
•HCON 370 IH
(2) the President should instruct representa-
tives to the United States delegation to the 54th an-
nual meeting of the International Whaling Commis-
sion to support positions that are based on sound
science;
(3) the President should instruct the United
States delegation to the 54th annual meeting of the
International Whaling Commission to support only
those resolutions proposing the designation of any
new whale sanctuaries that have specific, scientif-
ically defensible goals, that have a long-term re-
search component to monitor the progress toward
meeting the goals of the sanctuary, and that are
based on guidelines and criteria developed by the
Scientific Committee of the International Whaling
Commission; and
(4) the United States should support prompt
completion by the International Whaling Commis-
sion of all outstanding portions of a revised manage-
ment scheme.
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