Madeleine Bordallo: “House Concurrent Resolution 94 expresses our support for ending the fishing subsidies given to foreign fishermen. I…”

“House Concurrent Resolution 94 expresses our support for ending the fishing subsidies given to foreign fishermen. I appreciate the chairman of the House Natural Resources Committee, Nick Rahall, and the Ranking Republican, Don Young, for their assistance in moving this legislation. Foreign governments' subsidies to fishermen are common in many countries around the world. Too little of these subsidies go toward beneficial purposes, such as improving fisheries management and science. Instead, they typically are used to offset fishing costs, for example, by providing support for fuel consumption and vessel construction. The subsidies artificially decrease the cost of fishing for foreign fishermen, making fishing a profitable trade when it would not be otherwise. The subsidies increase the rate of overfishing worldwide. Current estimates reveal that the sheer number of vessels actively fishing around the world today is up to 250 percent greater than is sustainable, according to the World Wildlife Fund. The Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations has found that 75 percent of the world's fisheries are fully exploited, over exploited, depleted, or recovering from depletion. There is clearly no need to expand the world's fishing fleets beyond their current capacity. Quite the contrary. By eliminating the subsidies that lead to fleet expansion, we can reduce some of this pressure.”