SLS 15RS-953 ORIGINAL
2015 Regular Session
SENATE CONCURRENT RESOL UTION NO. 66
BY SENATOR CHABERT
FISH/FISHING. Memorializes Congress to take action against illegal, unreported, and
unregulated fishing in Louisiana's sovereign waters by passing H.R. 774, the Illegal,
Unreported, and Unregulated Fishing Enforcement Act of 2015.
1 A CONCURRENT RESOL UTION
2 To memorialize the Congress of the United States to take action against illegal, unreported,
3 and unregulated fishing in Louisiana's sovereign waters by passing H.R. 774, the
4 Illegal, Unreported, and Unregulated Fishing Enforcement Act of 2015.
5 WHEREAS, illegal, unreported, and unregulated fishing is a global problem with
6 serious economic, environmental, and security implications; and
7 WHEREAS, illegal fishing accounts for economic losses of up to billions of dollars
8 per year nationally and such activity is largely conducted by foreign fleets at the expense of
9 United States fishermen, coastal communities, and the sustainability of global fish stocks;
10 and
11 WHEREAS, illegal fishing is of particular consequence in Louisiana, where the Gulf
12 Coast waters supply seafood for the citizens of the United States and support the hospitality
13 industry, tourism-related businesses, and the vibrant recreational and commercial fishing
14 industry; and
15 WHEREAS, not only does illegal fishing result in economic losses to the Louisiana
16 fishing industry and other coastal businesses, but it also is a threat to the sustainability of our
17 fisheries and to the Louisiana Gulf Coast ecosystem; and
18 WHEREAS, the United States Coast Guard is to be commended for apprehending
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SLS 15RS-953 ORIGINAL
1 and investigating foreign vessels engaged in illegal activity along the U.S.-Mexico border,
2 often patrolling the Gulf of Mexico in a cat-and-mouse game specifically with Mexican
3 fishermen who are fishing illegally; and
4 WHEREAS, illegal fishermen in the Gulf of Mexico compete for local fish stock and
5 disregard state and federal laws on catch limits, or of marine species including marine
6 mammals and sea turtles that are indiscriminately killed by the use of illegal long-line
7 netting, and where some of the illegally caught fish is exported back into the U.S. and flood
8 the market; and
9 WHEREAS, vessels involved with illegal fishing are also associated with other
10 crimes, including drug trafficking, human trafficking, and illegal immigration, and the
11 incursion by these foreign fishing vessels into U.S. waters constitutes a violation of our
12 sovereignty.
13 THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED that the Legislature of Louisiana memorializes
14 the Congress of the United States to take action against illegal, unreported, and unregulated
15 fishing in our sovereign waters by passing H.R. 774, the Illegal, Unreported, and
16 Unregulated Fishing Enforcement Act of 2015.
17 BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the Legislature of Louisiana hereby expresses
18 its commitment to the elimination of illegal fishing, to the long-term conservation of
19 Louisiana marine resources, and to the protection of the Louisiana Gulf Coast fishing and
20 coastal communities.
21 BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that a copy of this Resolution shall be transmitted
22 to the secretary of the United States Senate and the clerk of the United States House of
23 Representatives and to each member of the Louisiana delegation to the United States
24 Congress.
The original instrument and the following digest, which constitutes no part
of the legislative instrument, were prepared by McHenry Lee.
DIGEST
SCR 66 Original 2015 Regular Session Chabert
Memorializes Congress to take action against illegal, unreported, and unregulated fishing
in Louisiana's sovereign waters by passing H.R. 774, the Illegal, Unreported, and
Unregulated fishing Enforcement Act of 2015.
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