countries whose nationals are certified by the Secretary 

 of Commerce as conducting fishing operations (including 

 whaling) in a manner or under circumstances which diminish 

 the effectiveness of international conservation programs 

 such as that of the IWC . The Packwood-Magnuson Amendment 

 mandates a reduction by at least 50 percent in the 

 allocation of fish that may be caught within the U.S. 

 Fishery Conservation Zone by any nation so certified. 

 As in the past, the United States advised whaling nations of 

 the potential applicability of these laws to their whaling 

 activities pursuant to objections. In addition to the 

 potential imposition of sanctions under these laws, the 

 issue arose in the course of Congressional action on 

 10 December 1982 to approve the proposed Governing 

 International Fishery Agreement between the United States 

 and Japan, during which members of Congress noted the 

 potential adverse impacts of Japan's objection upon 

 U.S . -Japanese relations, including fisheries. 



The Commission will continue to consult and cooperate 

 with other agencies and interested groups and individuals 

 during 1983 concerning these and other issues relating to 

 the International Whaling Commission. 



Interim Convention on Conservation 

 of North Pacific Fur Seals 



The Interim Convention on Conservation of North Pacific 

 Fur Seals calls for cooperative research and management 

 efforts by the United States, Japan, Canada, and the U.S.S.R. 

 to achieve the maximum sustainable productivity of the fur 

 seal resources of the North Pacific Ocean. The objective is 

 to maintain fur seal populations at levels which will provide 

 the greatest harvest year after year, with due regard to 

 their relation to the productivity of other marine living 

 resources of the area. Harvesting of fur seals at sea has 

 been prohibited by agreement of the parties to the Convention. 

 On land, an average of 32,278 fur seals have been harvested 

 annually in recent years -- 26,507 on the Pribilof Islands 

 of the United States and 5,771 on the Commander and Robben 

 Islands of the U.S.S.R. The Convention entered into force 

 in 1957 and has been extended by four Protocols. The most 

 recent extension was agreed to by the parties on 14 October 

 1980 and was ratified by the Senate on 11 June 1981. 



On 10 February 1982, the National Marine Fisheries Service 

 circulated to the Marine Mammal Commission and others the 

 U.S. Draft position papers and other related documents for 

 the annual meeting of the North Pacific Fur Seal Commission, 



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