Shark Conservation Act of 2008

Thank you.

And while I stand to ask the Members to also support this legislation that the gentlelady from Guam has introduced, I think it's interesting, though, that we're here today talking about the carcasses of sharks, Mr. Speaker. We debated the other day on the floor monkey bites, and we have had some quite interesting conversations on the floor about legislation that's important and important to the American people.

But I find that the one subject that we're not talking about on the floor of the House, or at least not being able to debate on the floor of the House and have had any legislation come forward on the floor of the House that we could really debate and get into a debate and talk about statistics and reality is the fact of drilling and becoming more energy independent. That is something, I think, that is concerning most houses and most families right now.

And the fact that, Mr. Speaker, the price of a gallon of gas is $4.11, $4.11, that's a sticker shock that we can't seem to get our head around and get

our hands on is that a gallon of gas today is costing $4.11. And the reason it's costing $4.11 is because we are still completely dependent on foreign oil.

Now, while I know that there are a lot of people at home sitting around considering what their chances of getting bitten by a monkey might be or their care and real concern about a shark carcass, I think they're more concerned about a gallon of gas, the price of that.

So Mr. Speaker, I would encourage you to encourage the rest of the members of the majority party, those that are in control, to have a good discussion, a good debate on a piece of legislation that would allow drilling on our Outer Continental Shelf in the areas of the West that have shale oil, off the coast of Alaska, and ANWR where we know that there are billions of gallons of gas. And not only that, but we're fixing to be in a natural gas crisis.

Natural gas is about twice what it was, I believe, last year, and if that's the case, people are not going be able to heat their homes. And so while we think that driving is expensive now with gas at $4.11 a gallon, imagine having home heating oil or natural gas to heat your house for your family and your bill is going to be twice as high as it was. Well, Mr. Speaker, you won't even be able to drive to a warm place.

And so these are some concerns that we need to be talking about now. Not only are we into the immediate crisis of high prices of gas, but we're in the crisis to come of our home heating oil and natural gas.

So I hope that while we take these things serious about the carcasses of these sharks, chances of getting bit by a monkey, that we would consider our dependence on foreign oil and what we can do to become self-dependent. It's all of the above. It's going to take some conservation, but we cannot conserve our way out of this. It's going to take looking at new technologies for wind and for solar. But we cannot build enough solar panels nor enough windmills to supply this country with its energy needs.

We don't need to be doing away with our coal-fired plants because 85 percent of the power of this country, Mr. Speaker, comes from those coal-fired plants. We need to be looking at new exploration, new ways to increase the oil production of this country so that we might be more energy independent and not so dependent on the people around this world who are mainly and most of the time not our friends, Mr. Speaker.

So I hope you will take that message back--and I know you will--to the majority and hopefully we can bring forth some legislation that we can discuss and see if we can't get gas prices down for the American people.

Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the bill (H.R. 5741) to amend the High Seas Driftnet Fishing Moratorium Protection Act and the Magnuson-Stevens Fishery Conservation and Management

Act to improve the conservation of sharks, as amended.

Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members may have 5 legislative days in which to revise and extend their remarks and include extraneous material on the bill under consideration.

Mr. Speaker, I rise in support of my bill, H.R. 5741, the Shark Conservation Act of 2008.

Sharks are vital to the health of marine ecosystems, but the practice of shark finning is driving their decline worldwide. Eight years ago, Congress passed the Shark Finning Prohibition Act to protect these critical species. H.R. 5741 reconfirms the original intent of Congress to prevent both shark finning and the transshipment and landing of shark fins without carcasses. It also provides an important new enforcement mechanism requiring that sharks be landed with their fins naturally attached.

Reducing shark finning is imperative to conserving sharks and the marine ecosystems of which they are a part. I am grateful that the bill has the strong support of my colleagues from the Western Pacific, namely Congressman Abercrombie from the State of Hawaii and Congressman Faleomavaega from American Samoa, as well as the ranking member of the Fisheries, Wildlife and Oceans Subcommittee, Mr. Brown from South Carolina.

I would note that last week, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration raised some concerns with the narrow aspect of the bill as it might relate to shark fishing on the west coast. We are waiting for additional information from the agency and will work with them as the bill proceeds to determine how this concern can be addressed without creating any unintended loopholes in the shark finning ban.

Mr. Speaker, H.R. 5741 is a timely bill, and it's an important bill, and I ask my colleagues to support its passage.

I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. Speaker, first I want to thank the gentleman from Virginia for his support of this particular piece of legislation.

I have no additional requests for time and would reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. Speaker, I yield myself as much time as I may consume.

Mr. Speaker, I would just simply say to the gentleman that it is not only the sharks in the sea who fear being de-finned, it is also the American people who are being fleeced at the pump by Big Oil. And further, Mr. Speaker, I would say to the gentleman that during this summer as many Americans flock to the beach, they have a greater chance of being bitten by Big Oil than by a shark.

Also, Mr. Speaker, our colleague from American Samoa (Mr. Faleomavaega) is attending to official business in his district today and is therefore unable to be here on the floor for this debate. I note, however, for the record his involvement in drafting and advancing this legislation in committee.

Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. Speaker, I again urge Members to support the bill, and I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today in strong support of H.R. 5741, recognizing the urgency for the U.S. to maintain its leadership role in conserving sharks and the marine ecosystems of which they are apart.

First and foremost, I want to commend the chief sponsor and good friend, Ms. Bordallo of Guam, for her initiative in introducing this important legislation. I also want to commend Chairman Rahall and other members of the Committee on Natural Resources for their strong support of this bipartisan legislation.

As a member of the Subcommittee on Fisheries, Wildlife, and Oceans, I want to personally commend my good friend, Chairwoman Bordallo, for her tireless work on the many issues affecting our oceans. This legislation in particular is an example of the efforts by the subcommittee and the Congress in promoting and preserving our natural resources.

Mr. Speaker, the increased amount of shark finning in the recent decades has taken a devastating toll on our efforts in conserving sharks and the marine ecosystems in which they are apart. The removal of shark fins and dumping of the carcasses at sea is being fueled by the shark-fin trade, which in turn is being driven by the rapid economic growth in Asia. It is our responsibility to further the prohibition of shark finning in order to preserve the conservation of sharks and their corresponding ecosystems. We have already taken steps in alleviating this problem when Congress enacted the Shark Finning Prohibition of 2000, prohibiting U.S. fishermen from removing the fins of sharks and discarding the carcasses at sea, and from landing or transporting shark fins without the corresponding carcasses.

In April, Chairwoman Bordallo introduced this legislation which includes specific measures that will strengthen the implementation and enforcement of the shark finning prohibition. The bill clarifies that all vessels, not just fishing vessels, are prohibited from having custody, control, or possession of shark fins without the corresponding carcass, thereby eliminating the unexpected loophole related to the transport of shark fins. This legislation removes the 5 percent ``fin to carcass'' ratio, by requiring that fishermen land all sharks with fins naturally attached which can later be easily removed after such inspection, making it easier for authorities to determine whether a given set of fins belonged to a particular dressed carcass.

Finally, this bill amends the High Seas Driftnet Moratorium Protection Act to allow the Secretary of Commerce to identify and list nations that have not adopted a regulatory program for the conservation of sharks similar to the U.S.

Mr. Speaker, it is necessary that we pass this legislation immediately given the damage that is constantly affecting our national marine ecosystems by the removal of sharks who have an integral part in sustaining life in these ecosystems.

I urge my colleagues tom pass H.R. 5741. Again, I thank my colleagues for their support of this important bill.

Mr. Speaker, I rise in support of H.R. 5741, the Shark Conservation Act of 2008.

The United States is a leader in international efforts to manage and conserve shark species, and the United States currently has a shark finning ban in place and guidelines under the Magnuson-Stevens Fishery Conservation and Management Act to rebuild overfished shark populations.

I would like to take a moment to recognize the Virginia Institute of Marine Science in my district for their leading shark research. As a member of the National Shark Research Consortium, researchers at Virginia Institute of Marine Science have been monitoring shark populations in the mid-Atlantic since 1973. This long-term data set represents the longest running shark monitoring program in the world. This important research has contributed to the body of knowledge about sharks while providing important data for policymakers to better manage and conserve shark species.

H.R. 5741 is necessary because of a mistake in a court ruling opening a loophole in the Shark Finning Prohibition Act of 2000. The ruling allowed fishermen to transfer shark fins at sea to transshipment vessels. This is clearly a violation of that Act, and this bill closes that loophole.

While supporting the bill, some Members do remain concerned that this broad legislation may be viewed as short-circuiting the ability of interested parties to comment on the proposal through the normal Regional Fishery Management Council rulemaking process. In addition, this bill may have unintended consequences for at least one State's shark fishery landing law.

While I urge a ``yes'' vote on H.R. 5741, these concerns require continued attention as this legislation moves forward in the Senate.

Mr. Speaker, I yield as much time as he may consume to the gentleman from the State of Georgia (Mr. Westmoreland).

Mr. Speaker, I have no additional speakers and yield back the balance of my time.