IV 
109TH CONGRESS 
1ST SESSION 
H. CON. RES. 164
Expressing the sense of the Congress regarding the policy of the United 
States at the 57th Annual Meeting of the International Whaling Commission. 
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 
MAY 23, 2005
Mr. DELAHUNT (for himself, Mr. ALLEN, Ms. BORDALLO, Mr. BLUMENAUER, 
Mrs. CHRISTENSEN, Mrs. DAVIS of California, Mr. FARR, Mr. GRIJALVA, 
Mr. HINCHEY, Mr. KIND, Mr. GEORGE MILLER of California, Ms. NOR-
TON, Mrs. MCCARTHY, Mr. PALLONE, Mr. OLVER, Mr. MARKEY, Mr. 
HOLDEN, Mr. RAHALL, Mr. SAXTON, Mr. SHAYS, Mrs. CAPPS, and Mr. 
FRANK of Massachusetts) submitted the following concurrent resolution; 
which was referred to the Committee on International Relations 
CONCURRENT RESOLUTION 
Expressing the sense of the Congress regarding the policy 
of the United States at the 57th 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 whales migrate throughout the world’s oceans and 
international cooperation is required to successfully con-
serve and protect whale stocks; 
Whereas in 1946 a significant number of the nations of the 
world adopted the International Convention for the Regu-
•HCON 164 IH 
lation of Whaling, which established the International 
Whaling Commission to provide for the proper conserva-
tion of whale stocks; 
Whereas in 2003 the Commission established a Conservation 
Committee, open to all members of the Commission, for 
the purpose of facilitating efficient and effective coordina-
tion and development of conservation recommendations 
and activities, which are fully consistent with the con-
servation 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 rights of indigenous people to whale for subsist-
ence purposes has been specifically recognized under the 
1946 Convention; 
Whereas the Commission has designated the Indian Ocean 
and part of the ocean around Antarctica as whale sanc-
tuaries to further enhance the recovery of whale stocks; 
Whereas many nations of the world have designated waters 
under their jurisdiction as whale sanctuaries where com-
mercial whaling is prohibited, and additional regional 
whale sanctuaries have been proposed by nations that are 
members of the Commission; 
Whereas two member nations that lodged objections to the 
Commission’s moratorium on commercial whaling when it 
was adopted continue to hold such objections, a third 
member nation asserted a reservation to the moratorium 
on rejoining the Commission, and one member nation is 
currently conducting commercial whaling operations in
•HCON 164 IH 
spite of the moratorium and the protests of other na-
tions; 
Whereas the Commission has adopted several resolutions at 
recent meetings asking member nations to halt commer-
cial whaling activities conducted under reservation 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 taken a 
reservation to the Commission’s Southern Ocean Sanc-
tuary and also continues to conduct unnecessary lethal 
scientific whaling in the Southern Ocean and in the 
North Pacific Ocean; 
Whereas one member nation has recently begun to conduct 
unnecessary lethal scientific whaling in the Atlantic; 
Whereas whale meat and blubber is being sold commercially 
from whales killed pursuant to such unnecessary lethal 
scientific whaling, further undermining the moratorium 
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 more than 8,700 whales have been killed in lethal 
scientific whaling programs since the adoption of the 
commercial whaling moratorium and the lethal take of 
whales under scientific permits has increased both in 
quantity and species, with species now including minke, 
Bryde’s, sei, and sperm whales, and media reports indi-
cate a new plan may be offered that could expand such 
whaling to fin and humpback whales;
•HCON 164 IH 
Whereas engaging in commercial whaling under reservation 
and lethal scientific whaling undermines the conservation 
program of the Commission; 
Whereas discussions are taking place within the Commission 
on a Revised Management Scheme (RMS) that would 
regulate any possible future commercial whaling; 
Whereas any decision to lift the moratorium against commer-
cial whaling must be taken independently from negotia-
tions and adoption of an RMS; 
Whereas any RMS must include or be conditioned on the con-
current adoption of provisions similar to those in other 
international agreements related to fisheries and marine 
mammals, including transparent and neutral observer 
mechanisms, and effective compliance and dispute settle-
ment mechanisms; 
Whereas to be effective, if an RMS is adopted, any future 
commercial whaling must take place pursuant to the 
RMS, and no reservations allowing commercial whaling 
outside of the RMS should be permitted; and 
Whereas any decision to lift the moratorium against commer-
cial whaling must be conditioned on the immediate ces-
sation of lethal scientific whaling: Now, therefore, be it
Resolved by the House of Representatives (the Senate 
concurring), That it is the sense of the Congress that—
(1) at the 57th Annual Meeting of the Inter-
national Whaling Commission the United States 
should—
(A) remain firmly opposed to commercial 
whaling and any linking of adoption of a Re-
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vised Management Scheme (RMS) to the lifting 
of the commercial whaling moratorium; 
(B) initiate and support efforts to ensure 
that all activities conducted under reservations 
to the Commission’s moratorium or sanctuaries 
are ceased; 
(C) seek to ensure that any RMS includes, 
or is conditioned on the concurrent adoption of 
provisions similar to those in other international 
agreements related to fisheries and marine 
mammals, including transparent and neutral 
observer mechanisms, and effective compliance 
and dispute settlement mechanisms; 
(D) insist that any future commercial 
whaling must take place pursuant to the RMS, 
that no reservations allowing commercial whal-
ing outside of the RMS should be permitted, 
and that lethal scientific whaling must imme-
diately cease upon the commencement of any 
commercial whaling; 
(E) uphold the rights of indigenous people 
to whale for subsistence purposes, and firmly 
reject any attempts to compromise such rights 
or to equate commercial whaling with such 
rights;
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(F) initiate or support efforts to end the 
lethal taking of whales for scientific purposes, 
seek support for expanding the use of non-le-
thal research methods, and seek to end the sale 
of whale meat and blubber from whales killed 
for unnecessary lethal scientific research; 
(G) support proposals for the permanent 
protection of whale populations through the es-
tablishment of whale sanctuaries and other 
zones of protection in which commercial whal-
ing is prohibited; 
(H) support efforts to expand data collec-
tion on whale populations, monitor and reduce 
whale bycatch and other incidental impacts, and 
otherwise expand whale conservation efforts; 
(I) support the adoption of an active pro-
gram of work by the Conservation Committee to 
address the full range of threats to whales, and 
otherwise expand whale conservation efforts; 
(J) call upon the Contracting Parties to 
the Convention to submit to the Commission for 
discussion within the Conservation Committee 
national approaches, including laws, regulations 
and other initiatives, that further the conserva-
tion of cetaceans; and
•HCON 164 IH 
(2) the United States should make full use of 
all appropriate diplomatic mechanisms, Federal law, 
relevant international laws and agreements, and 
other appropriate mechanisms to implement the 
goals set forth in paragraph (1).
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