334 



committee take prompt and effective action in approving this 

 legislation. 



Thank you, Mr. Chairman. 



Mr. DiNGELL. We certainly appreciate your fine statement. 



The next witness is the gentleman from Alabama, our good friend 

 the Honorable John H. Buchanan. 



STATEMENT OF HON. JOHN H. BUCHANAN, JR., A REPRESENTATIVE 

 IN CONGRESS FROM THE STATE OF ALABAMA 



Mr. Buchanan. Mr. Chairman and members of the Subcommit- 

 tee on Fisheries and Wildlife. As a cosponsor of the Ocean Mammal 

 Protection Act of 1971 (H.R. 7706), I am gratified that this subcom- 

 mittee is holding hearings on this and related measures which would 

 give needed protection to seals, whales, polar bears, walruses, sea cows, 

 sea lions, porpoises, and dolphins. This legislation has my strong 

 support. I would, however, recommend to the subcommittee one change, 

 which I will discuss later. 



The Ocean Mammal Protection Act declares the protection of all 

 ocean mammals to be the public policy of the United States, to be car- 

 ried out through severe restrictions on the taking of ocean mammals 

 by persons or vessels under the jurisdiction of the United States and 

 through negotiations with foreign governments toward an eventual 

 worldwide ban on the further slaughter of ocean mammals. 



As we are becoming increasingly aware, ocean mammals are being 

 ruthlessly pursued, harassed, and killed, both at sea and on land by 

 hunters of many nations of the world. It is also becoming tragically 

 apparent that many ocean mammal species will become rare, if not 

 extinct, unless steps are taken to stop their slaughter. 



The polar bear, for example, is judged to be decreasing in popula- 

 tion and international cooperation toward proper management of the 

 remainin<^ species is considered essential. 



The whale is an important example of an ocean mammal being 

 threatened with extinction, and in related action the House Foreign 

 Affairs Committee's Subcommittee on International Organizations and 

 Movements has alreadv held hearings on legislation (H.J. Res. 706 and 

 H.J. Res. 730) which would instruct the Secretary of State to call for 

 a 10-year moratorium on the killing of all species of whales. This 

 legislation (now H. Con. Res. 387) was approved by that subcom- 

 mittee before the August recess. A similar bill passed the Senate by 

 unanimous consent in June of this year. 



Information presented in connection with the foregoing subcom- 

 mittee hearings revealed that regulatory measures taken by the Inter- 

 national Whaling Commission over the past 25 years have not been 

 sufficient to stop the steady downward trend in the world whale popu- 

 lation. Indeed, more whales were killed during the past 10 years than 

 ever before in the history of commercial whaling. This has resulted 

 in a situation in which at least eight species of whales are already en- 

 dangered. The largest species, tlie blue whale, is already virtually 

 extinct. 



Again, in my judgment, there is just no justification for the ex- 

 termination of these hugh, intelligent, benign creatures. Whale prod- 

 ucts are useful, but they are not necessary to man's survival. 



