Source: Preliminary Management Plans 



The total foreign allocation for the year 

 1977 will be about 2.04-million metric tons. 

 This compares to about 2.72-million metric 

 tons which was harvested by foreign fisher- 



men in the same areas in 1974 and about 3.63- 

 million metric tons in 1972. While some 

 reduction in foreign allocations is contained in 

 the preliminary plans in order to reserve cer- 

 tain stocks for U.S. fishermen, the overwhelm- 

 ing reduction in allowable catch is assumed to 

 be for the purpose of conserving stocks which 

 have been substantially overfished in the past 

 (see figure 22). 



As in enforcement of fishery regulations, 

 the Department of State may, in some cases, 

 exert a practically unquestioned influence on 

 foreign allocation figures. For example, 

 foreign allocations for pollock were increased 

 100,000 metric tons by NMFS this year in 

 response to State Department comments on 

 the environmental impact statement relative 

 to trawl fishery management plans for the 

 Bering Sea. 



As with enforcement, the foreign policy im- 

 plications of some management actions and 

 allocations may at times be more important 

 than the fishery implications. However, some 

 mechanism should be established to assure 

 that fisheries managers are not intimidated by 

 the Department of State and that Department 

 of State requests are based on clear evidence 

 that the allocations or other aspects of the 

 management plans would be harmful for 

 some reason. 



These preliminary management plans are 

 the first step in a complex process aimed at 

 regulating foreign fishing. Because they are 

 the prime management tool, they are of great 

 importance and need careful scrutiny. As 

 written and published before the March 1, 

 1977, implementation date, the preliminary 

 management plans prepared by NMFS for 

 regulation of foreign fisheries are not coordi- 

 nated in content or format. In fact, NMFS has 

 reserved the task of writing and publishing 

 regulations for the presentation of manage- 

 ment plans until after the law has gone into 

 effect. Other rules and regulations for opera- 



71 



91-072 O - 77 - f 



