Enforcement 



Also included in this Summary are some of 

 the specific problems which stand in the way 

 of full implementation of the Fishery Conser- 

 vation and Management Act of 1976. 



It is the practice of the Office of Technology 

 Assessment to make an objective analysis of a 

 subject and not to recommend specific policy 

 actions to the U.S. Congress. Adhering to that 

 practice, OTA has made no policy recommen- 

 dations in this report. However, due to the 

 practical nature of this report and the desires 

 of the congressional committee which re- 

 quested this study, it seemed appropriate in 

 this case to make a number of specific sugges- 

 tions for more effective implementation of the 

 Fishery Conservation and Management Act of 

 1976. These recommendations are outlined in 

 this section and discussed in more detail 

 where appropriate in later sections. 



Throughout this Summary, page numbers 

 are noted after individual conclusions in order 

 to simplify reference to fuller discussion in the 

 main text of the report. 



Need for Enforcement 



Adequate management and strict en- 

 forcement offer the opportunity for future 

 increase in fish stocks and yields due to 

 tighter controls to prevent overfishing, less 

 pressure on stocks which are normally 

 taken as bycatch, less conflict among fisher- 

 men for certain grounds, less conflict be- 

 tween different types of equipment, and 

 assurance of workable allocation of catch 

 quotas among foreign and U.S. fishermen. 

 (See pages 27 to 29.) 



The Existing Coast Guard Enforcement Plan 

 for Foreign Fisheries 



The Coast Guard plan of increasing its 

 present fishery enforcement capabilities is a 

 reasonable first step in enforcement. It is 

 flexible in that resources can be added at a 

 reasonable first cost and the program can be 

 curtailed or accelerated as assumptions and 

 need are proven or disproven by ex- 

 perience. (See pages 29 to 31.) 



Enforcement of Domestic Fisheries by NMFS 

 and USCG 



The National Marine Fisheries Service's 

 present approach to enforcing regulations 

 in domestic fisheries by means of dockside 

 inspections may be sufficient under the new 

 law if it is combined with a program of ran- 

 dom at-sea inspections. However, if regula- 

 tions for domestic fisheries duplicate the 

 kinds of gear restrictions and operational 

 controls used in foreign fisheries, more at- 

 sea enforcement capability will be needed. 

 (See pages 29 to 31.) 



In the event that an at-sea enforcement 

 capability is needed in domestic fisheries, 

 the Coast Guard could use the same types of 

 equipment and techniques which are 

 planned for enforcement activities in 



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