At its eleventh annual "Fly In" to Washington, D.C., May 19-23, the Alliance for America unanimously adopted the following resolution calling for the amendment of the US Marine Mammal Protection Act.

(See also National Animal Interest Alliance [NAIA] Law Conference Resolution, March 2000)

Resolution

THE KEY OBSERVATION arising from the Alliance for America 11th Annual Fly In For Freedom is that the promotion of animal-rights beliefs has produced unacceptable consequences that include ongoing violations of fundamental human rights.

The representative of the Inuit people from Arctic Canada has eloquently described how their culture, livelihoods and society are being devastated by the animal rights-inspired Marine Mammal Protection Act (MMPA) - a law which contradicts accepted principles of sustainable use and environmental conservation.

This outdated legislation arbitrarily bans the import of seal products from an abundant species, and violates the American ideal of individual freedom and the rights of the people to self-determination, including the right to use and trade abundant local resources.

We believe that the American people would be shocked and distressed to discover that the MMPA has so severely harmed so many people and cultures. Indigenous people attempt to live in harmony with the environment as active practitioners of sustainable use. The MMPA disrupts this ecological relationship.

Seals are abundant in Arctic Canada and other regions and provide a vital source of food in Arctic communities, but provisions of the MMPA prevent Inuit and other people from fully utilizing animals upon which they depend for their survival, because trade is prohibited.

Therefore this assembly of the Alliance for America:

I) Calls for the amendment of the MMPA to allow for the import of seal products, to protect US commercial and recreational fisheries, and to bring the MMPA into accord with the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species (CITES) as implemented by the Endangered Species Act and our agreements under the WTO; and,:

II) Resolves to work to inform the American public and legislators about the injustice which has been done by this law; and,

III) Calls upon all people and organizations that respect human rights to join us in our efforts to right the wrongs that have been done.

Passed unanimously May 20, 2001, 12:30 p.m.

[Signed] Dale E. Anderson, President, Alliance for America