of present and future generations. The first standard re- 

 quires that conservation and management measures be designed 

 to prevent overfishing while achieving the optimum yield (OY) 

 from each fishery on a continuing basis. "Optimum" with re- 

 spect to fishery yield is defined in the Act as : 



"the amount of fish from a fishery which, 

 if produced, will provide the greatest 

 overall benefit to the nation (especially 

 in terms of food production and recreation- 

 al opportunities) and which is prescribed 

 for that fishery, on the basis of maximum 

 sustainable yield as modified by any rele- 

 vant economic, social or ecological factor." 



Fishery management plans . In order to carry out a na- 

 tional policy for management and conservation of fishery re- 

 sources in the U.S. FCZ , the Act requires that fishery manage- 

 ment plans (FMPs) be developed in accordance with the national 

 standards and any other applicable law. Each plan covers one 

 or more stocks, establishes management and conservation objec- 

 tives for those stocks, and provides for appropriate regula- 

 tions to fulfill those objectives. 



As specified in the FCMA, FMPs must contain conserva- 

 tion and management measures for both foreign and domestic 

 fishing, and a complete description of the fishery including 

 its history, commercial and recreational interests, stock 

 distribution, gear, economics, and Indian treaty fishing rights 

 MSY for the fishery must be calculated and documented with 

 the data and formulas used. Acceptable Biological Catch (ABC), 

 which is a seasonally determined catch that may differ from 

 MSY for biological reasons, e.g., fluctuating recruitment or 

 rebuilding of overfished stocks, is then identified. ABC may 

 be greater or less than MSY. Optimum Yield (OY) , a further 

 modification of MSY and ABC on the basis of social, economic 

 or other relevant ecological considerations, must then be 

 identified. (Definitions of MSY, ABC, OY and other terms and 

 acronyms used in this report are given in the text and in- 

 cluded in glossaries found in Appendices I and J.) 



The portion of OY that U.S. fisheries are capable of 

 harvesting must be estimated. If OY exceeds U.S. harvesting 

 capacity, then the difference is the total allowable level 

 of foreign fishing (TALFF) . The Departments of State and 

 Commerce allocate TALFF among nations. 



