17 



Comments from Reviewers 



"Since it is unlikely that we would be able to do it (enhancement) to 

 or for everything, priorities would have to be set. Some (of the 

 following) examples are useful to illustrate what considerations should 

 be weighed: 



1. Haddock and yellowtail flounders are important to U.S. 

 fishermen, overfished, and valuable. 



2. Alaska pollock are not presently important to U.S. fisherraen- 

 they are overfished, but the principal sufferers of the 

 consequences are not U.S. fishermen. Nonetheless, under the 

 Extended Jurisdiction Act, we will assume the responsibility 

 to see that they are no longer overfished in our 200-mile 

 economic zone. 



3. One group of the Alaska crabs is presently underf ished , 

 i.e., it could yield considerably more than it does at 

 present without anyone doing anything about it except 

 fishing more. 



4. Salmon is a particularly interesting case. Questions on 

 the resource, its fisheries, regulations, aquaculture, etc., 

 are extremely politically sensitive. What tends to get lost 

 in the noise is that we now apparently produce more salmon 

 than we can use — U.S. exports of salmon over the past few 

 years have been 30-60 million pounds of products annually, 

 equal to perhaps 40-70 million pounds of whole fish. Of 

 course what drives the system here is economics, but this 

 raises the question of whether we should enhance for economic 

 reasons." 



— from Albert K. Sparks 



Acting Associate Director for Resource Research 

 National Marine Fisheries Service 

 October 8, 1976 



