Page:United States Statutes at Large Volume 122.djvu/1592

 12 2 STA T . 1 569PUBLIC LA W 11 0– 2 43—J U NE 3, 200 8PublicLaw1 1 0–243 110 thCongres s J oint R esolution Direct i ng t h e U nite dS t a te s t o initiate internationa l disc u ssions and ta k e necessar y ste p s w ith other N ations to negotiate an agree m ent f or managing migratory and trans b oundary fish stocks in the A rctic O cean .Wher e ast he d e clin e of se v eral co m merciall y val u a b le fish stoc k s throu g hout the w orld ’ s oceans highlights the need for fishing nations to conserve fish stocks and develo p management systems that promote fisheries sustainability Whereas fish stocks are migratory throughout their habitats , and changing ocean conditions can restructure marine habitats and redistribute the species dependent on those habitats; Whereas changing global climate regimes may increase ocean water temperature, creating suitable new habitats in areas previously too cold to support certain fish stocks, such as the A rctic O cean; Whereas habitat e x pansion and migration of fish stocks into the Arctic Ocean and the potential for vessel docking and navigation in the Arctic Ocean could create conditions favorable for estab - lishing and expanding commercial fisheries in the future; Whereas commercial fishing has occurred in several regions of the Arctic Ocean, including the B arents S ea, K ara Sea, Beaufort Sea, C hukchi Sea, and G reenland Sea, although fisheries sci- entists have only limited data on current and pro j ected future fish stock abundance and distribution patterns throughout the Arctic Ocean; Whereas remote indigenous communities in all nations that border the Arctic Ocean engage in limited, small scale subsistence fishing and must maintain access to and sustainability of this fishing in order to survive; Whereas many of these communities depend on a variety of other marine life for social, cultural and subsistence purposes, including marine mammals and seabirds that may be adversely affected by climate change, and emerging fisheries in the Arctic should take into account the social, economic, cultural and subsistence needs of these small coastal communities; Whereas managing for fisheries sustainability re q uires that all commercial fishing be conducted in accordance with science-based limits on harvest, timely and accurate reporting of catch data, equitable allocation and access systems, and effective monitoring and enforcement systems; Whereas migratory fish stocks traverse international boundaries between the exclusive economic z ones of fishing nations and the high seas, and ensuring sustainability of fisheries targeting these stocks requires management systems based on international coordination and cooperation; June3,20 0 8[S. J. R e s . 17]

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