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Managing America: Environment and Resources

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Week Ending June 8, 2006

H.CON.RES.94 Encouraging the elimination of harmful fishing subsidies that contribute to overcapacity in commercial fishing fleets worldwide and that lead to the overfishing of global fish stocks.

In the context of one billion people around the world who rely on fish as their primary source of dietary protein, the preamble announces that the UN has found that 75% of the world’s fish populations are currently exploited, fully exploited, significantly depleted or recovering from overexploitation.

Scientists, the preamble says, have estimated that “a significant percentage of big predator fish such as tuna, marlin, and swordfish are gone from the world's oceans and warn of a global collapse within this century of all species now fished if current trends in overfishing are not reversed”

The problem is identified as harmful fishing subsidies that promote overcapitalization, over fishing, illegal, unregulated and unreported fishing and destructive fishing practices that would not otherwise be economically viable.

More resolution below…

Sponsor:  Rep. Madeleine Z Bardello (GU)

Vote: Passed House by voice vote June 5, 2007

Cost to the taxpayers: No discernible cost

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MORE INFORMATION

Whereas nearly 1,000,000,000 people around the world depend on fish as their primary source of dietary protein;

Whereas the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization has found that 75 percent of the world's fish populations are currently over exploited, fully exploited, significantly depleted, or recovering from overexploitation;

Whereas scientists have estimated that a significant percentage of big predator fish such as tuna, marlin, and swordfish are gone from the world's oceans and warn of a global collapse within this century of all species now fished if current trends in overfishing are not reversed;

Whereas the global fishing fleet capacity is estimated to be up to 250 percent greater than is needed to catch what the ocean can sustainably produce;

Whereas the Congress recognized the threat of overfishing to our oceans and economy and therefore included the requirement to end overfishing in the United States by 2011 in the Magnuson-Stevens Fishery Conservation and Management Reauthorization Act of 2006 (Public Law 109-479);

Whereas the United States Commission on Ocean Policy and the Pew Oceans Commission identified overcapitalization of the global fishing fleets as a major contributor to the widespread depletion of economically important fish populations;

Whereas harmful fishing subsidies encourage overcapitalization and overfishing; support destructive fishing practices such as high seas trawling that would not otherwise be economically viable; and amount to billions of dollars annually;

Whereas such subsidies have also been documented to support illegal, unregulated, and unreported fishing, which impacts commercial fisheries in the United States and around the world both economically and ecologically, and could lead to the irreversible collapse of the world's fisheries;

Whereas harmful fishing subsidies are concentrated in relatively few countries, putting other fishing countries, including the United States, at an economic disadvantage;

Whereas the United States is a world leader in advancing policies to eliminate harmful fishing subsidies that support overcapacity and promote overfishing; and

Whereas a wide range of countries are currently engaged in historic negotiations to end harmful fishing subsidies that contribute to overcapacity and overfishing: Now, therefore, be it

Resolved by the House of Representatives (the Senate concurring), That the United States should continue to promote the elimination of harmful fishing subsidies that promote overcapitalization; overfishing; illegal, unregulated, and unreported fishing; and destructive fishing practices that would not otherwise be economically viable.

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No reproduction, language translation or distribution without written permission from TheWeekInCongress.com.(TM)