89 



3 



Whereas the distant-water fishing nations refused to suspend 

 operations until the fishery collapsed and was no longer 

 economically viable; 



Whereas international law attempts to balance fi-eedom of 

 fishing in international waters with the interests of the 

 coastal states in conserving and developing fish stocks 

 within their own exclusive economic zones and the inter- 

 ests of all nations in conserving the living marine re- 

 sources, but these efforts may not succeed due to the in- 

 herent difficulty associated with establishing effective 

 conservation, management, and enforcement controls in 

 international waters; 



Whereas international negotiations have not yet succeeded in 

 reaching a permanent means to control fishing in the 

 Donut Hole despite continuing attempts to resolve the is- 

 sues since the 1980's; 



Whereas on April 4, 1993, at the Vancouver Summit, the 

 Presidents of the United States and the Russian Federa- 

 tion agreed, inter alia, "to develop bilateral fisheries co- 

 operation in the Bering Sea, the North Pacific, and the 

 Sea of Okhotsk for the purpose of preservation and re- 

 production of living marine resources and of monitoring 

 the ecosystem of the North Pacific Ocean"; 



Whereas the Congress of the United States has passed the 

 Central Bering Sea Fisheries Enforcement Act of 1992 

 (F*ublic Law 102-582) which denies port privileges to 

 those vessels that violate international agreements con- 

 cerning Central Bering Sea fishery resources; 



Whereas the collaborative conservation efforts of the United 

 States, Russian Federation, and distant-water fishing na- 

 tions will provide enhanced fishery resources; 



HCON 135 IH 



