RESEARCH RELATED TO THE CASE FOR ABSTENTION 



By R. A. Fredin 



Fishery Research Biologist 



Bureau of Commercial Fisheries 



Biological Laboratory 



Seattle, Washington 



I shall review the abstention provisions of the North 

 Pacific Treaty, including their purpose, the stocks of fish 

 concerned, the conditions under which a stock qualifies for 

 abstention, and the scientific studies required. 



The purpose of the Treaty is to ensure maximum sus- 

 tained productivity of the fishery resources of the North 

 Pacific Ocean, To this end, Canada and Japan agreed, in 

 1953, to abstain from fishing certain stocks of fish in certain 

 waters, and Canada and the United States agreed to carry out 

 necessary conservation measures. 



Japan agreed to abstain from fishing the following stocks 

 in certain waters: (1) halibut {Hippoglossus stenolepis) 

 originating along the coast of North America and which 

 occur off the coasts of Canada and the United States; (2) her- 

 ring {Clupea pallasii) of North American origin occurring 

 off the coasts of Canada and the United States, exclusive of 

 the Bering Sea and waters of the North Pacific Ocean west 

 of the nneridian passing through the western extremity of 

 the Alaskan Peninsula; and (3) the five species of salmon 

 (Oncorhynchus spp.) originating in the rivers of Canada and 

 the United States, Because the range of the salmon was 

 unknown, a provisional line was specified in the Protocol. 

 Japan and Canada agreed to abstain from fishing these stocks 

 because, at the time the Treaty was negotiated, it was con- 

 cluded that each fulfilled the three conditions for abstention, 

 (1) fvill utilization, (2) regvilated exploitation, and (3) extensive 

 scientific study. 



At the time the Treaty was negotiated it was recognized 

 that errors in classification might be possible or that 

 changes in a stock and its fishery might take place. Hence, 

 the Treaty required that each year, beginning in 1958, the 

 Commission should determine whether the stocks of halibut, 

 salmon, and herring continue to qualify for abstention in the 

 three conditions given above. 



In order for the Commission to make the required study, 

 it has been necessary to assemble scientific data and other 

 information relating to the three conditions for abstention 

 for each stock on the abstention list. The task has been and 

 is a difficult one, particularly with respect to the first condi- 

 tion for abstention. For a salmon stock, for example, the 

 scientific evidence relating to the first condition for absten- 

 tion includes an assessment of the current condition of the 

 stock, a measure of the intensity of the fishery and the 



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