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Indirect impacts on the ecosystem would be expected to 

 increase with time as harvesting levels increased. If 

 stocks were damaged before the conservation regime could 

 be established, recovery might be effected by selective 

 conservation measures afterwards. However, the example of 

 whaling has demonstrated that recovery can be a slow pro- 

 cess. Proper management from the beginning is preferable. 



5. Complete Conservation Regime (Proposed 

 Federal Action) 



The fourth alternative, and that which incorporates 

 the proposed federal action, is that of establishment of a 

 complete conservation regime. The regime would provide a 

 mechanism for determining and enforcing necessary conserva- 

 tion measures. The objectives of the regime include pre- 

 vention of overexploitation of any Antarctic resource, 

 maintaining the health of the Antarctic ecosystem, ensuring 

 that any harvesting of one species does not adversely affect 

 related species, and maintaining long term productivity of 

 the entire system. 



Some changes in the Antarctic ecosystem would be 

 expected as harvesting increased under a conservation 

 regime, but the anticipated changes are much less than 

 those expected with uncontrolled harvesting. Maintaining 

 the health of the ecosystem and retaining long term 

 productivity would be possible under this alternative. 

 Although some disturbance of the ecosystem would occur, 

 maintenance of balance between populations would be possi- 

 ble with carefully regulated harvesting. 



The chance of overexploitation of any stock or 

 damaging of a resource population by reduction of its 

 food supply is minimized under this alternative. Recovery 

 of whale populations would be possible. 



Because the potential for overharvesting krill probably 

 exists now, some form of limitation of harvesting during 

 the interim period between negotiation and ratification 

 of the proposed regime is desirable to prevent damage to 

 the Antarctic ecosystem before the regime is operating. 



Both scientific and commercial data would be 

 reported and scientific investigations encouraged under 

 the regime. From a scientific standpoint, the opportu- 

 nity for observing and studying a relatively undisturbed 

 system would be decreased as harvesting levels increased. 



