Mammal Commission, the Department of State, and the National 

 Science Foundation, convened an ad hoc group of U.S. scientists 

 and representatives of interested industry and environmental 

 groups in Washington, D.C., on 15-16 April 1987. At that 

 meeting, information and views were exchanged on scientific 

 and technical issues on the agenda for the 1987 meetings of 

 the Living Resources Commission and Scientific Committee and 

 on research and monitoring which the United States should 

 carry out to implement the Living Resources Convention. Marine 

 Mammal Commission representatives participated in the prepara- 

 tory meeting and in subsequent efforts to develop agreed posi- 

 tions on issues scheduled for consideration during the 26 

 October - 6 November 1987 meetings of the Living Resources 

 Commission and Scientific Committee. 



During their 1987 meetings, the Living Resources Commission 

 and Scientific Committee considered a broad range of issues, 

 including finfish conservation measures, krill research and 

 monitoring, observation and inspection, incidental mortality 

 and marine debris, ecosystem monitoring, and development of a 

 long-term conservation strategy. 



Finfish Conservation Measures : Vessels from six Contract- 

 ing Parties (Chile, the German Democratic Republic, France, 

 Japan, Poland, and the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics} 

 fished in the Convention Area during the 1986/1987 season. 3 

 The total fish catch was 98,029 metric tons, up substantially 

 from the catch of 58,228 metric tons in 1985/1986. Most of 

 the catch (74,142 metric tons) was Champsocephalus gunnari 

 and was taken from the area around South Georgia Island. 



The 1986/1987 catch of C. gunnari (primarily by Soviet 

 fishing vessels) was more than five times the 1985/1986 catch, 

 despite the fact that the fishing nations had indicated their 

 intent at the 1986 Commission meeting to maintain the catch 

 of this species at about the 1985/1986 level. The increase was 

 because the fishing fleets found larger than expected quantities 

 of the species, not because of increased fishing effort. 



Recognizing the desirability of limiting fishing mortality 

 and the possibility that a considerable quantity of C. gunnari 

 might already have been taken from the South Georgia area 



3 As of 31 December 1987, there were 20 members of the 

 Living Resources Commission and Scientific Committee: Argen- 

 tina, Australia, Belgium, Brazil, Chile, the European Economic 

 Community, France, the German Democratic Republic, the Federal 

 Republic of Germany, India, Japan, the Republic of Korea, New 

 Zealand, Norway, Poland, South Africa, Spain, the Union of 

 Soviet Socialist Republics, the United Kingdom, and the United 

 States. 



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