B-26 



And we recognize that there are political difficulties 

 with doing that, especially since we are harvesting ongoing — 

 and we are prepared to suggest a sort of modified moratorium 

 which might go along the lines of a commitment by nations 

 not to fish for more than they are now fishing for — until 

 such time as we have adequate base line data and other infor- 

 mation that you really need to establish a rational conser- 

 vation management regime. 



And looking towards that concept of optimum instead of 

 maximum return of the resources. 



CHAIRMAN BREWSTER: Certainly we would consider it. 



I also would have to tell you that my present opinion — 

 and as I said earlier the position of the State Department 

 or the U.S. Government has not been determined -- but my own 

 present view of that is that it is in all probability something 

 that one could not negotiate. 



To the best of our knowledge, the commercial exploitation 

 of krill is not yet a fact. We are aware of its appearance 

 in various markets in certain forms, but I don't think that 

 the whole process of commercialization has yet been developed. 



The information we have, however, strongly suggests that 

 commercialization could happen rather rapidly. I would assume 

 that the countries that are working on that most assiduously 

 (of which the United States is not one) would be precisely 

 the countries which would have difficulty with that kind of an 

 approach now. That attitude is in part reflected in the words 

 of the working group which we previously discussed and which 

 we agreed to the assurance that "conservation" did not mean 

 no "harvest ing" . 



So on the basis of what I know now, I would have to say 

 I think such a proposal, desirable though it might be, is 

 probably not negotiable. But I come back to say that we will 

 consider it. 



MR. JAMES BARNES: Well I think the point to stress here 

 — and I haven't heard anybody I've talked to who are here 

 today, suggest sort of a complete moratorium. 



