H-1909              _______________________________________________

                                           HOUSE JOINT MEMORIAL NO. 4018

                        _______________________________________________

State of Washington                              50th Legislature                              1987 Regular Session

By Representatives Haugen, Allen, Jacobsen, Pruitt, Brough and Schoon

Read first time 2/18/87 and referred to Committee on Environmental Affairs.

TO THE HONORABLE RONALD REAGAN, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES, AND TO THE PRESIDENT OF THE SENATE AND THE SPEAKER OF THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES, AND TO THE SENATE AND HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES OF THE UNITED STATES, IN CONGRESS ASSEMBLED, AND TO THE CONGRESSIONAL DELEGATIONS FROM STATES BELONGING TO THE PACIFIC FISHERIES LEGISLATIVE TASK FORCE:

          We, your Memorialists, the Senate and House of Representatives of the State of Washington, in legislative session assembled, respectfully represent and petition as follows:

WHEREAS, Tributyltin (TBT) is one of the most toxic substances ever deliberately introduced by man into the marine environment; and

          WHEREAS, TBT is used widely on the nets of marine fish pens to prevent the growth of plants, algae, and other substances on the pen mesh; and

          WHEREAS, Recent studies by the National Marine Fisheries Service have found that salmon reared in sea pens treated with tributyltin absorb TBT in their flesh with concentrations in the fish in excess of five parts per trillion; and

          WHEREAS, TBT is known to be harmful in amounts in excess of five parts per trillion; and

          WHEREAS, Cooking has been found to be ineffective in destroying or removing concentrations of TBT in pen-reared salmon to prevent its entry into the human diet; and

          WHEREAS, Pen-reared salmon are imported into the United States as well as being produced domestically and enter the fresh, frozen, and smoked fish markets together with wild salmon;

          NOW, THEREFORE, Your Memorialists respectfully pray that the Pacific Fisheries Legislative Task Force requests that the Food and Drug Administration, the Environmental Protection Agency, and the National Marine Fisheries Service impose an immediate ban on all salmon imported into or produced in the United States in pens treated with TBT.

          BE IT RESOLVED, That copies of this memorial be sent to each and every member of the Congressional Delegations from states belonging to the Pacific Fisheries Legislative Task Force; and

          BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, That copies of this Memorial be immediately transmitted to the Honorable Ronald Reagan, President of the United States, the President of the United States Senate, the Speaker of the House of Representatives, and each member of the United States Senate and House of Representatives from Alaska, California, Hawaii, Idaho, Oregon, and Washington.