QUALIFICATIONS FOR ABSTENTION 35 



even more obscure in their a]:)|)licatioii K; ihe halibut or, lor that 

 matter, to any other marine species. 



Available facts on the eastern Bering Sea halibut stocks as deter- 

 mined by the International Pacific Halibut Commission are as 

 follows: 



(1) The results of drift bottle experiments carried out by the 

 Halibut Commission staff over 30 years ago indicate that there 

 is a westward drift of water along the southern shores of the 

 Aleutian Peninsula that moves through the eastern Aleutian 

 Islands and turns eastward again into Bristol Bay. The later 

 pelagic stages of young halibut are probably carried by this 

 current into the eastern Bering Sea, and thus Bristol Bay is 

 probably supplied with yoinig fish from the spawning stocks 

 in Area 3A. This may accoimt, at least in part, for the presence 

 of a large population of juvenile halibut in Bristol Bay 

 (Thompson and Van Cleve, 1936).^ 



(2) All tagging experiments conducted by the Halibut- Commis- 

 sion in the eastern Bering Sea show the migration of fish from 

 the Bering Sea into Areas 3A and 2. (See 'Tacific Halibiu 

 Fishery Regulations effective June 8, 1963" for a description 

 of these areas.) As a matter of fact, tagging experiments show 

 that between 30 and 40 per cent of the tagged fish move oiu 

 of the Bering Sea into Areas 3 A and 2 (IPHC, 1961). This is a 

 much higher rate of emigration than occurs from one area to 

 another within what are considered to be inseparable stocks. 



(3) The catch of halibut by United States and Canadian fishermen 

 in the eastern Bering Sea has increased rapidly since 1957 

 (IPHC, 1962). This growing fishery has been the result of a 

 deliberate policy (mentioned above), followed by the Halibut 

 Commission of regulating the fishery in such a manner as to 

 encourage the development of halibiu fishing in the Bering 

 Sea. This is completely in accord with the mandate of the 

 Commission, which is to provide for the full exploitation of 

 the stock, and it is also in keeping with the spirit of the Inter- 

 national North Pacific Fisheries Treaty which demands as one 



I 



4 Mr. F. H. Bell, Director of IPHC, has informed us that this has been confirmed by 

 the capture of postlarval pelagic halibut in the eastern Aleutian passes. 



