Preface 



The National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS) Office of International Affairs prepared this study from April 

 to October 1993. This volume focuses on the four Asian distant-water fishing fleets which have conducted the most 

 extensive global fishing operations among all Asian fishing fleets. International highseas fishery issues directly 

 related to distant-water fishing fleet operations (e.g. transboundary stocks, reflagging) are receiving increased 

 attention in international fora, particularly in the United Nations. This study was undertaken in an effort to pinpoint 

 current major distant-water fishing fleet effort and, with this information, try to predict future trends in the 

 deployment of these fishing fleets. 



Acknowledgements 



Numerous individuals have helped prepare this volume. The overall operations were conducted under the 

 direction and support of the NMFS Senior Scientist, Dr. Michael Sissenwine, the Office of International Affairs 

 Director, Henry Beasley, and the Division Chief for International Science, Development, and Foreign Fisheries 

 Analysis, Frederick Beaudry. The research design and project implementation for this volume was coordinated by 

 Mark Wildman. The author is grateful to all the Division staff involved in the preparation of this volume: Seiko 

 Green, Tracy Yuen, Christine Parker, and Milan Kravanja. In addition, many thanks go to Nina Loewinger and 

 Paul Niemeier for their proofreading assistance. 



The author is indebted to a much longer list of individuals and organizations for information and guidance. The 

 author would particularly like to thank Mr. Douglas Ancona, Regional Attache for Oceans and Natural Resources, 

 U.S. Embassy Tokyo, for providing extensive information on the Japanese distant-water fleet and helpful comments 

 on the Japan chapter. In addition, the author would like to thank the American Institute in Taiwan, Economic 

 Section, for its submission of detailed information regarding the Taiwan distant-water fishing fleet. 



IV 



