- 2 - 



The FCMA established a national program of management 

 designed to prevent overfishing and promote the rebuilding 

 of stocks, while furthering the realization of utilization 

 of the full potential of the nation's fishery resources. 

 The FCMA called for the negotiation of fishery agreements 

 with countries wishing to fish off our coasts and for the 

 negotiation of agreements establishing maritime boundaries 

 with countries whose fishery zones are opposite or 

 adjacent to our own. 



Also in 1976, the Canadian Government announced exten- 

 sion of its fisheries jurisdiction to 200 miles effective 

 January 1, 1977. In the Gulf of Maine area, outside the 

 Strait of Juan de Fuca, at the Dixon Entrance and in the 

 Beaufort Sea the published limits of U.S. and Canadian fisheries 

 jurisdiction overlapped. This overlap was most pronounced 

 on the northeast third of Georges Bank, one of the world's 

 richest fishing grounds, and traditionally of major impor- 

 tance to U.S. fishermen (figure 1). 



In view of these overlapping claims, both governments 

 initiated discussions in late 1976 in an effort to resolve 

 differences. Of more immediate concern, however, was the 

 management of fishery resources in the boundary region 

 pending delimitation of the boundary. Absent some agree- 

 ment, both governments recognized that these resources 



