Bill Text: TX HR1605 | 2015-2016 | 84th Legislature | Enrolled
Bill Title: Expressing a commitment to the elimination of illegal fishing and urging Congress to take action to end illegal, unreported, and unregulated fishing in our sovereign waters.
Spectrum: Partisan Bill (Republican 1-0)
Status: (Passed) 2015-05-22 - Reported enrolled [HR1605 Detail]
Download: Texas-2015-HR1605-Enrolled.html
H.R. No. 1605 |
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WHEREAS, Illegal, unreported, and unregulated fishing is a | ||
problem with serious economic, environmental, and security | ||
implications; and | ||
WHEREAS, Illegal fishing accounts for economic losses of | ||
billions of dollars per year globally, and millions of those lost | ||
dollars result from poaching in the Gulf of Mexico; such activity is | ||
largely conducted by foreign fleets at the expense of United States | ||
fishermen, coastal communities, and the sustainability of global | ||
fish stocks; and | ||
WHEREAS, Illegal fishing is of particular consequence in | ||
Texas, where the Gulf Coast waters supply seafood for the American | ||
public and support the hospitality industry, tourism-related | ||
businesses, and the vibrant recreational and commercial fishing | ||
industry; not only does illegal fishing result in economic losses | ||
to the Texas fishing industry and other coastal businesses, but it | ||
also is a threat to the sustainability of our fisheries and to the | ||
Texas Gulf Coast ecosystem; and | ||
WHEREAS, The Texas Parks and Wildlife Department and the | ||
United States Coast Guard are to be commended for their partnership | ||
in investigating and apprehending foreign vessels engaged in | ||
illegal activity along the Texas-Mexico border; and | ||
WHEREAS, Foreign nationals fishing illegally in U.S. waters | ||
compete for local stock, and they disregard state and federal laws | ||
on catch limits; when they sell their fish in the United States, | ||
they can flood the market with a cheaper product; moreover, they | ||
often use banned longline netting that imperils marine mammals and | ||
sea turtles; and | ||
WHEREAS, Vessels involved with illegal fishing are also | ||
associated with other crimes, including drug trafficking, human | ||
trafficking, and illegal immigration, and the incursion by these | ||
foreign fishing vessels into U.S. waters constitutes a violation of | ||
our sovereignty; now, therefore, be it | ||
RESOLVED, That the House of Representatives of the 84th Texas | ||
Legislature hereby express its commitment to the elimination of | ||
illegal fishing, to the long-term conservation of Texas marine | ||
resources, and to the protection of the Texas Gulf Coast fishing and | ||
coastal communities; and, be it further | ||
RESOLVED, That the Texas House of Representatives hereby | ||
respectfully urge the United States Congress to take action to | ||
protect our coastal borders and to end illegal, unreported, and | ||
unregulated fishing in our sovereign waters; and, be it further | ||
RESOLVED, That the chief clerk forward official copies of | ||
this resolution to the president of the United States, to the | ||
president of the Senate and the speaker of the House of | ||
Representatives of the United States Congress, and to all members | ||
of the Texas delegation to Congress with the request that this | ||
resolution be entered in the Congressional Record as a memorial to | ||
the Congress of the United States of America. | ||
Faircloth | ||
______________________________ | ||
Speaker of the House | ||
I certify that H.R. No. 1605 was adopted by the House on May | ||
21, 2015, by the following vote: Yeas 142, Nays 0, 2 present, not | ||
voting. | ||
______________________________ | ||
Chief Clerk of the House | ||