10 MANAGEMENT OF HIGH SEAS FISHERIES 



fisheries, beyond its presently defined territorial waters. Thus, to be 

 practical, it is necessary to ask, what other routes are available to 

 attain the goal of effective fishery management in the northeastern 

 Pacific? 



In theory, at least, all fishery management problems could be 

 solved by means of appropriate international treaties. The difficulty, 

 to state a truism, is in reaching agreement. Yet, as this is the most 

 likely route to be selected by the interested countries, it will be well 

 to examine some of its potential advantages and disadvantages. 



There are, of course, numerous treaties in the world that regulate 

 high seas fisheries. When one looks at the total ocean area and the 

 total fishery resources of the world, however, it becomes apparent 

 that these treaties cover only a very small portion of the area and the 

 fish. In the North Pacific, while practically the entire area north of 

 about 40° North Latitude is covered by treaties, only a small per- 

 centage of total fishery resources is actually affected by treaty regula- 

 tion. Nonetheless, these treaties are important first steps and deserve 

 close study. 



In the northeastern Pacific Ocean there are effective the Fur Seal 

 Treaty, the International Whaling Treaty, the Pacific Salmon 

 Treaty, the Halibut Treaty, and the International North Pacific 

 Fisheries Treaty. The Soviet Union is a party to the Fur Seal 

 Treaty and the Whaling Treaty, but is not party to any of the others, 

 and therefore is violating no international agreement or other laws 

 by fishing freely up to the territorial limits of the United States and 

 Canada. Japan, though a party to the International North Pacific 

 Fisheries Treaty, is bound by the terms of that treaty only to abstain 

 from fishing halibut south of the Alaskan Peninsula, salmon east of 

 175° West Longitude, and herring along the coast of British Colum- 

 bia except outside the Queen Charlotte Islands. Japan is bound by 

 the treaty to participate in conservation measures if the parties to the 

 treaty can agree as to the character of such ineasures and that they 

 are necessary. At present the treaty in no way affects her fishery for 

 shrimp, for king crab, or for any other species along the coast of 

 North America outside of territorial limits. These limits at present 

 extend only three miles from the mean low tide line in both Canada 

 and the United States. 



The Convention on Fishing and Conservation of the Living Re- 

 sources of the High Seas (McDougal and Burke, 1962, App. C) 



