IX 



Canada do not act to protect these stocks, abundance is 

 likely to decline over time causing significant economic 

 dislocation for coastal communities in the United States 

 which are dependent on them. In addition, the risks of 

 competitive overfishing may also extend to other stocks to 

 which both countries have access. 



The proposed action would reduce these risks by 

 requiring that both countries agree to total annual harvests 

 from these resources and by specifying what percentage of 

 the total each country annually may take. It would also 

 create a mechanism through which the United States and 

 Canada may coordinate management policies and develop a 

 cooperative relationship in the area of fisheries management 

 Though such cooperation has occurred in the past in various 

 international commissions and under certain bilateral 

 agreements, extended jurisdiction now requires even closer 

 cooperation over a broad range of fisheries management 

 issues if stocks are to be conserved effectively. Moreover, 

 the need for such a relationship is likely to become even 

 more compelling as the fishing industries of both countries 

 seek to realize the opportunities created for them by 

 extended jurisdiction. Delimitation of the maritime 

 boundary in the Georges Bank-Gulf of Maine area, although 

 important to defining the precise areas of each country's 



