404 Wm. C. Herrington 



greater complexity of species and problems and wider areas. The Northwest 

 Atlantic Convention covering all joint fishery conservation problems of the 

 ten countries fishing the northwest Atlantic area, and the North Pacific Con- 

 vention covering joint problems of the United States, Canada, and Japan 

 in the north Pacific area, are examples of these recent developments. 



2. Selection of Commissioners 



Members of the various commissions should be selected with respect to the 

 specific commission to which they are appointed. The requirements may 

 vary with the particular commission and stage of its development, so that 

 emphasis is in some cases upon special knowledge of the particular problem, 

 and in others upon general quahfications. It is extremely important that the 

 commissioners have the confidence and support of the public in their respective 

 areas, for such confidence and support is an essential requirement for the 

 success of the commissions. For this reason, in the United States, for example, 

 except for Government members, the Commissioners are appointed from the 

 area affected by the convention. 



3. Advisory Committees 



Experience in the U.S. with the several commissions has demonstrated the 

 desirability of providing for advisory committees from the public, and interested 

 state governments. They serve a 2-way function. They provide detailed and 

 practical advice to the commission, particularly with respect to the relation 

 between the problems and proposals considered by the commission and the 

 practical operations of the fishery and the state governments. They also serve 

 an invaluable function in informing the various segments of the interested 

 public of the work of the commission and the justification for the various acts 

 which it may perform. In the present commissions they are proving extremely 

 helpful in maintaining public support. 



4. Periodic review of Commission Work 



Experience has indicated the desirabihty of providing for a periodic review of 

 the work of a commission by the member parties. This would include a study 

 of progress made in achieving the objectives of the convention, whether the 

 convention served its purpose and should be terminated, or should be con- 

 tinued as before or with modifications which would enable it to more effectively 

 pursue its objectives. A provision of this kind was included in the North 

 Pacific Convention. It is included in a more developed form in the Great Lakes 

 Fisheries Convention. It seems desirable that it should be included in future 

 conventions. 



5. Provision for research under the conventions 



Two general arrangements for research work are provided under the several 

 conventions. These are to provide: (1) that the commission shall co-ordinate 

 the research work of the contracting parties ; or (2) that the commission shall 

 set up its own independent research staff". Co-ordination of the research work 

 of the contracting parties is favoured in situations where the contracting parties 

 involved in the particular problems covered by the convention have established 

 research staff's engaged on these or related problems in the convention area, 



