*EPF210 07/03/01
Text: Senators Introduce Resolution Opposing Commercial Whaling
(S. Res. 121 submitted June 29) (2860)
A bipartisan group of senators submitted Senate Resolution 121 (S. Res. 121) June 29, which calls on the United States to seek the protection of the whale population and block any effort to reopen trade in whale products at the 53rd Annual Meeting of The International Whaling Commission in July.
The proposed resolution, introduced by Senator John Kerry (Democrat of Massachusetts), says the United States should remain "firmly opposed" to commercial whaling.
S. Res. 121 would have the United States "initiate and support efforts to ensure that all activities conducted under reservations to the Commission's moratorium or sanctuaries are ceased."
The resolution, similar to one introduced the day before in the House of Representatives, H. Con. Res. 180, wants the United States to oppose the lethal taking of whales for scientific purposes "unless such lethal taking is specifically authorized by the Scientific Committee of the Commission."
S. Res. 121 would also have the United States seek the Commission's support for "specific efforts by member nations to end illegal trade in whale meat."
The resolution also calls for "the permanent protection of whale populations through the establishment of whale sanctuaries in which commercial whaling is prohibited."
Following is the text of S. Res. 121:
(begin text)
SENATE RESOLUTION 121
EXPRESSING THE SENSE OF THE SENATE
REGARDING THE POLICY OF THE UNITED STATES
AT THE 53RD ANNUAL MEETING OF
THE INTERNATIONAL WHALING COMMISSION
Senate
June 29, 2001
Mr. KERRY (for himself, Ms. SNOWE, Mr. HOLLINGS, Mr. MCCAIN, Mr. BIDEN, Mr. SARBANES, Mrs. BOXER, Mr. KENNEDY, and Mr. FEINGOLD) submitted the following resolution; which was referred to the Committee on Foreign Relations:
S. Res. 121
Whereas whales have very low reproductive rates, making whale populations extremely vulnerable to pressure from commercial whaling;
Whereas whales migrate throughout the world's oceans and international cooperation is required to successfully conserve and protect whale stocks;
Whereas in 1946 the nations of the world adopted the International Convention for the Regulation of Whaling, which established the International Whaling Commission to provide for the proper conservation of the whale stocks;
Whereas the Commission adopted a moratorium on commercial whaling in 1982 in order to conserve and promote the recovery of the whale stocks;
Whereas the Commission has designated the Indian Ocean and the ocean waters around Antarctica as whale sanctuaries to further enhance the recovery of whale stocks;
Whereas many nations of the world have designated waters under their jurisdiction as whale sanctuaries where commercial whaling is prohibited, and additional regional whale sanctuaries have been proposed by nations that are members of the Commission;
Whereas several member nations of the Commission have taken reservations to the Commission's moratorium on commercial whaling and 1 member nation is currently conducting commercial whaling operations in spite of the moratorium and the protests of other nations;
Whereas the Commission has adopted several resolutions at recent meetings asking member nations to abandon plans to initiate or continue commercial whaling activities conducted under reservation to the moratorium;
Whereas another member nation of the Commission has taken a reservation to the Commission's Southern Ocean Sanctuary and continues to conduct unnecessary lethal scientific whaling in the waters of that sanctuary;
Whereas the Commission's Scientific Committee has repeatedly expressed serious concerns about the scientific need for such lethal whaling;
Whereas scientific information on whales can readily be obtained through non-lethal means;
Whereas the lethal take of whales under reservations to the Commission's policies have been increasing annually;
Whereas there continue to be indications that whale meat is being traded on the international market despite a ban on such trade under the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species (CITES), and that meat may be originating in one of the member nations of the Commission;
Whereas engaging in unauthorized commercial whaling and lethal scientific whaling undermines the conservation program of the Commission: Now, therefore, be it,
Resolved, That it is the sense of the Senate that--
(1) at the 53rd Annual Meeting the International Whaling Commission the United States should--
(A) remain firmly opposed to commercial whaling;
(B) initiate and support efforts to ensure that all activities conducted under reservations to the Commission's moratorium or sanctuaries are ceased;
(C) oppose the lethal taking of whales for scientific purposes unless such lethal taking is specifically authorized by the Scientific Committee of the Commission;
(D) seek the Commission's support for specific efforts by member nations to end illegal trade in whale meat; and
(E) support the permanent protection of whale populations through the establishment of whale sanctuaries in which commercial whaling is prohibited;
(2) at the 12th Conference of the Parties to the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species, the United States should oppose all efforts to reopen international trade in whale meat or downlist any whale population; and
(3) the United States should make full use of all appropriate diplomatic mechanisms, relevant international laws and agreements, and other appropriate mechanisms to implement the goals set forth in paragraphs (1) and (2).
Mr. KERRY. Mr. President, As Chairman of the Oceans and Fisheries Subcommittee, I rise today to submit a resolution regarding the policy of the United States at the upcoming 53rd Annual Meeting of the International Whaling Commission, IWC. I wish to thank the Ranking Member of the Subcommittee, Ms. SNOWE, for co-sponsoring this resolution. I wish to also thank my colleagues Mr. HOLLINGS, Mr. MCCAIN, Mr. BIDEN, Mrs. BOXER, Mr. SARBANES, Mr. KENNEDY and Mr. FEINGOLD for co-sponsoring as well.
The IWC will meet in London from July 23-27th. Despite an IWC moratorium on commercial whaling since 1985, Japan and Norway have harvested over 1000 minke whales since the moratorium was put in place. Whales are already under enormous pressure world wide from collisions with ships, entanglement in fishing gear, coastal pollution, noise emanating from surface vessels and other sources. The need to conserve and protect these magnificent mammals is clear.
The IWC was formed in 1946 in recognition of the fact that whales are highly migratory and that they do not belong to any one Nation. In 1982, the IWC agreed on an indefinite moratorium on all commercial whaling beginning in 1985. Unfortunately, Japan has been using a loophole that allows countries to issue themselves special permits for whaling under scientific purposes. The IWC Scientific Committee has not requested any of the information obtained by killing these whales and has stated that Japan's scientific whaling data is not required for management. Norway, on the other hand, objects to the moratorium on whaling and openly pursues a commercial fishery for whales.
This resolution calls for the U.S. delegation to the IWC to remain firmly opposed to commercial whaling. In addition, this resolution calls for the U.S. to oppose the lethal taking of whales for scientific purposes unless such lethal taking is specifically authorized by the Scientific Committee of the Commission. The resolution calls for the U.S. delegation to support an end to the illegal trade of whale meat and to support the permanent protection of whale populations through the establishment of whale sanctuaries in which commercial whaling is prohibited.
I ask unanimous consent to insert into the RECORD a statement from the World Wildlife Fund, WWF, concerning the upcoming meeting of the IWC and the protection of whales.
There being no objection, the material was ordered to be printed in the RECORD, as follows:
Statement of World Wildlife Fund
Today, populations of nearly all the great whales are at depressed levels, a legacy of unsustainable whaling during the last two centuries. Some, such as the North Atlantic right and Antarctic blue whales, survive as a few hundred individuals at the brink of extinction, having failed to rebound from past exploitation. Others are believed to be returning to healthy levels. While direct human impacts on whales remain a concern, other more diffuse threats may ultimately exact a greater toll. Rapid climate warming in the next few decades is expected to disrupt whale migration, breeding, and food support. And accumulation of DDT, PCBs, and other toxic contaminants in the marine food chain is already affecting some whales and may endanger their immune systems and ability to reproduce. Such broad-based threats to the marine environment are difficult to address in ways that will alleviate harm to whales specifically, and make it all the more important that whales are not also threatened by uncontrolled commercial whaling.
The International Whaling Commission, IWC, was established under the 1946 International Convention for the Regulation of Whaling, and is the sole international regulatory body charged with the management of cetaceans. International regulation of whaling was recognized by the UN Convention on the Law of the Sea, and reaffirmed by Agenda 21 as essential for these highly migratory species.
Despite the global moratorium on commercial whaling put in place by the IWC in 1986, over 1000 Northern and Southern minke whales are still being caught each year. Within the IWC, Japan continues to catch hundreds of whales (many in the Southern Ocean which is designated as an IWC whale sanctuary) using a loophole for scientific research, while Norway pursues an openly commercial hunt under a legal ``objection'' to the moratorium. For over a decade, both countries have proceeded without IWC approval and indeed in the face of repeated censure by the Commission. Norway is currently moving to re-open international trade in whale products despite a ban under CITES, and Japan has just extended its scientific whaling to include sperm and Bryde's whales as well as the two species of minkes.
Japan and Norway's insistence on hunting whales despite the moratorium has brought IWC to a dangerous impasse. No sound management scheme currently exists to ensure the sustainability of whaling, although a Revised Management Scheme, RMS, that could help to do so has been under discussion in the IWC for several years.
Japan and Norway have long said they viewed completion of the RMS as a turning point in their efforts to lift the whaling moratorium, and both countries have harshly criticized IWC for failing to reach agreement on the RMS. In recent IWC talks, however, the great majority of countries present sought to include crucial safeguards on the supervision and control of whaling in the RMS. They did so over the strenuous and repeated objections of Japan and Norway, who seemed unwilling to agree to safeguards that would ensure that commercial whaling does not threaten whale populations.
In addition, Japan and Norway are supported in the IWC by the votes of a loyal group of countries, many of them small island states that receive significant assistance from Japan. This gives the whalers a blocking minority of votes and has exacerbated the IWC's deadlock.
Because a tiny minority of countries in the IWC refuses to cease commercial whaling, it is imperative that new safeguards (including highly precautionary catch limits and provisions on monitoring, surveillance, and control such as DNA sampling of all whales caught, a diagnostic DNA register, and sanctions for non-compliance) be agreed that will contain their activities and bring them back under full IWC control at the earliest possible date. An RMS could advance this goal provided it contains sufficient safeguards, including a Revised Management Procedure that sets all catch limits at zero unless otherwise calculated and approved. Such an RMS should replace the now obsolete 1974 management scheme.
The IWC 53rd Conference of Parties meets at Hammersmith, London, in late July of
this year. The Hammersmith meeting must make progress in resolving the impasse within IWC, bringing whaling by Norway and Japan under international control as a matter of urgency, and ensuring that any discussion on the RMS incorporate rigorous safeguards to rein in current and potential whaling abuses.
The IWC's mandate requires first and foremost that it prevent the return of uncontrolled large-scale commercial whaling. This is the near-term agenda by which it will be judged and is currently the main contribution it has to offer conservation of cetaceans more broadly. For the IWC to remain relevant over the long term, however, it must expand its scope of engagement to address the other human activities which threaten whales and focus action on ensuring the survival of the most endangered species.
Ms. SNOWE. Mr. President, the resolution that Senator KERRY and I are submitting is very timely and important. As we work here in the Senate today, representatives of nations from around the globe are preparing for the 53rd Annual Meeting of the International Whaling Commission to be held in London July 23-27, 2001. At this meeting, the IWC will determine the fate of the world's whales through consideration of proposals to end the current global moratorium on commercial whaling. The adoption of any such proposals by the IWC would mark a major setback in whale conservation. It is imperative that the United States remain firm in its opposition to any proposals to resume commercial whaling and that we, as a nation, continue to speak out passionately against this practice.
It is also time to close one of the loopholes used by nations to continue to whale without regard to the moratorium or established whale sanctuaries. The practice of unnecessary lethal scientific whaling is outdated and the value of the data of such research has been called into question by an international array of scientists who study the same population dynamics questions as those who harvest whales in the name of science. This same whale meat is then processed and sold in the marketplace. These sentiments have been echoed by the Scientific Committee of the IWC which has repeatedly passed resolutions calling for the cessation of lethal scientific whaling, particularly that occurring in designated whale sanctuaries. They have offered to work with all interested parties to design research protocols that will not require scientists to harm or kill whales.
Last year, Japan expanded their scientific whaling program over the IWC's objections. The resolution that we are offering expresses the Sense of the Senate that the United States should continue to remain firmly opposed to any resumption of commercial whaling and oppose, at the upcoming IWC meeting, the non-necessary lethal taking of whales for scientific purposes.
Commercial whaling has been prohibited for many species for more than sixty years. In 1982, the continued decline of commercially targeted stocks led the IWC to declare a global moratorium on all commercial whaling which went into effect in 1986. The United States was a leader in the effort to establish the moratorium, and since then we have consistently provided a strong voice against commercial whaling and have worked to uphold the moratorium. This resolution reaffirms the United States' strong support for a ban on commercial whaling at a time when our negotiations at the IWC most need that support. Norway, Japan, and other countries have made it clear that they intend to push for the elimination of the moratorium, and for a return to the days when whales were treated as commodities.
The resolution would reiterate the U.S. objection to activities being conducted under reservations to the IWC's moratorium. The resolution would also oppose all efforts made at the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species, CITES, to reopen international trade in whale meat or to downlist any whale population. In addition, the IWC, as well as individual nations including the United States, has established whale sanctuaries that would prevent whaling in specified areas even if the moratorium were to be lifted. Despite these efforts to give whale stocks a chance to rebuild, the number of whales harvested has increased in recent years, tripling since the implementation of the global moratorium in 1986. This is a dangerous trend that does not show signs of stopping.
Domestically, we work very hard to protect whales in U.S. waters, particularly those considered threatened or endangered. Our own laws and regulations are designed to give whales one of the highest standards of protection in the world, and as a result, our own citizens are subject to rules designed to protect against even the accidental taking of whales. Commercial whaling is, of course, strictly prohibited. Given what is asked of our citizens to protect against even accidental injury to whales here in the United States, it would be grossly unfair if we retreated in any way from our position opposing commercial, intentional whaling by other countries. Whales migrate throughout the world's oceans, and as we protect whales in our own waters, so should we act to protect them internationally.
Whales are among the most intelligent animals on Earth, and they play an important role in the marine ecosystem. Yet, there is still much about them that we do not know. Resuming the intentional harvest of whales is irresponsible, and it could have ecological consequences that we cannot predict. Therefore, it is premature to even consider easing conservation measures.
The right policy is to protect whales across the globe, and to oppose the resumption of commercial whaling. I urge my colleagues to support swift passage of this resolution.
(end text)
(Distributed by the Office of International Information Programs, U.S. Department of State. Web site: http://usinfo.state.gov)
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