March 2004

In March of 2004 the State of Maine House of Representatives and Senate adopted the following resolution:

“Joint Resolution Memorializing the Congress of the United States to exempt the Passamaquoddy Tribe from certain provisions of the Marine Mammal Protection Act of 1972”

This joint resolution recognized the Passamaquoddy historical use of marine mammals for cultural, subsistence, ceremonial, medicinal and commercial purposes and also recognized that the Passamaquoddy continue to use marine mammals today. The resolution requested/urged the United States Congress to give serious consideration to giving the Passamaquoddy a cultural exemption from the federal Marine Mammal Protection Act of 1972 as was done for the Alaskan Indian, Aleut and Eskimo peoples.

The Passamaquoddy continue to harvest marine mammals from the salt water. The resolution was sponsored by Tribal Representative Frederick Moore III and was read and adopted by the House of Representatives on March 26, 2004, and by the Senate on March 29, 2004, and transmitted by the Secretary of State to the President of the US Senate and the Speaker of the US House of Representatives and each member of the Maine Congressional Delegation.