74 



• Short-term yield estimates that will maintain existing stocks; 



• Longer-term strategies that will restore stocks to chosen manage- 

 ment levels. 



The information requirements now upon assessments are enormous, expensive, 

 and critical. Present level of accuracy—the existing state-of-the-art- 

 does not provide excessive precision for fishery managers. In addition, 

 the existing science has little or no utility to industry. Lack of 

 communication as well as a lack of site-specific orientation (assess- 

 ments cannot predict yields from certain discreet areas at certain 

 specific times) does little to increase the fishing efficiency of 

 commercial fishermen, who argue in any case that they are more than capable 

 of catching fish if there are fish to catch. 



A study of ICNAF documents indicates the validity of a long-held opinion 

 on the part of the domestic industry: stock depletions and general biomass 

 reduction of Georges Bank is solely the responsibility of foreign factory- 

 type operations . Prior to their arrival, the area produced fish on a steady 

 and relatively stable basis for fifty years. Even today the one species 

 that has long been of value to New England fishermen— sea scallops— remains 

 essentially healthy, despite a lack of regulation and consequent maintenance 

 of the common property nature of the resource. Interestingly, sea scallops 

 have never been the target of directed foreign fisheries . 



Although today it is true that domestic efforts are capable of depleting 

 such devastated species as haddock and yellow-tail flounder, such devastations 

 are the result of pulse fishing efforts; the domestic industry remains sus- 

 picious of assessments that continue to close areas to it while allowing 

 foreign fisheries to continue. Fishermen throughout New England feel that 



