APPENDIX II APPENDIX II 
The Fishery Conservation and Management Act of 1976 (the 1976 
Act), neither diminishes nor extends the jurisdiction or authority 
of any State within its boundaries, except where the fishing 
in a fishery takes place predominately within and beyond the 
fishery conservation zone, and a State takes any action, or 
fails to take any action, the results of which will substantially 
and adversely affect the carrying out of a fishery management 
plan (§306(b)). In such a case, the Federal Government 
may regulate fishing within State territorial waters. 
The United States has jurisdiction, beginning March 1 , 
1977, to manage fisheries beyond State boundaries up to 200 miles 
out from the coastline. Sections 101 and 102 of the Act of 1976 
establish a "fishery conservation zone" between 3 and 200 miles 
out to sea, over which the United States is granted exclusive 
fishery management authority. Until the 1976 Act takes effect 
on March 1, 1977, U.S. jurisdiction over fisheries will extend 
to its present outer boundary of nine miles from the outer 
boundary of the States (generally 12 miles from the coast). 
LESUIS AC y agS 1091 =109 23 
II. MANAGEMENT AND REGULATION OF FISHERIES 
The most significant and greatest number of fisheries- 
related laws concern management or regulation of fisheries. 
The Nation's fisheries are managed by protection of the resource 
through laws regulating such matters as research and conservation 
and regulation of domestic and foreign fishing. The industry is 
protected by laws regulating such areas as commerce and labor. 
Management of the fisheries is mainly in the hands of the 
Secretary of Commerce, who administers such laws as the Fish 
and Wildlife Act of 1956 and who will be administering the 1976 
Act. Until formation of NOAA under Reorganization Plan No. 4 
of 1970 (Reorganization Plan), 84 Stat. 2090, most fishery 
Management laws were administered by the Bureau of Commercial 
Fisheries of the United States Fish and Wildlife Service, 
Department of the Interior. 
The Reorganization Plan contemplated the establishment of 
a single unit within the Department of Commerce which would 
focus, manage, and regulate developmental, operational and envi- 
ronmental aspects of coastal zone management. The Plan therefore 
transferred just about all functions of the Bureau of -Commercial 
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