APPENDIX III 
APPENDIX III 
proposal by the International Pacific Halibut Commission, 
agreed to expand closures in the Bering Sea for 1975 and 
additionally agreed to several closed areas in the Gulf of 
Alaska. Canada and the United States discussed these clo- 
sures with the Soviet Union and similar agreements were 
reached for 1976. 
The International Pacific Halibut Commission accepts 
some responsibility for decline of the halibut stock. The 
Commission allowed the catch to exceed the maximum sustained 
yield to demonstrate that the stocks were fully utilized, a 
requisite for Japanese abstention under the International 
North Pacific Fisheries Commission. Stocks continued to 
decline even after the International Pacific Halibut Com- 
mission reduced the catch limits of the setline fishery. 
Reductions in the setline catch were not sufficient to com- 
pensate for the increased landings which resulted from the 
combined effort of the setline fishery and the increased 
incidental catch of halibut taken by the United States, 
Canada, Japan, and the Soviet Union. The magnitude of the 
incidental catch of halibut was unknown until the early 1970s. 
Studies have since shown that the incidental catch of halibut 
increased sharply during the 1960s and early 1970s and in 
some areas exceeded the catch by the U.S. and Canadian set- 
line fishery. The incidental catch effectively weakened 
the Commission's management control and was a major reason 
why stocks have not responded to conservation measures. 
EEERCTS OF A 200-=MILE 
LIMIT ON THE FISHERY 
We believe the major reason for the decline in halibut 
abundance is the incidental catch of halibut by the large 
foreign trawl fishery off the British Columbia and Alaska 
coasts. 
The Japanese trawl fishery in the northeast Pacific is 
primarily directed at Pacific Ocean perch. Walleye pollock 
and yellowfin sole are the primary target fish in the Bering 
sea. 
Halibut is also caught by U.S. trawl fishermen but by 
law all halibut caught by this method must be released. 
Many ships from Japan, the Soviet Union, and South 
Korea annually fish in international waters off Alaska. 
These foreign fleets are capable of depleting the resources 
Supporting Alaska's largely inshore commercial and marine 
sport fisheries. The United States Government has long 
recognized this threat and increasingly has used international 
agreements to protect vital U.S. fisheries. Only in the 
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