EFFECTS OF A 200 MILE LIMIT 
The Fishery Conservation and Management Act of 1976 
extends U.S. jurisdiction over coastal fisheries resources 
and provides for improved fishery management. Although 
the majority of American lobsters are caught within 3 miles 
of the U.S. coast, there is an important lobster fishery 
in offshore waters. Also, the American lobster is a con- 
tinental shelf fishery resource. It has not yet been de- 
termined how implementation of the act will affect regulation 
of the lobster fisheries. This is expected to be determined 
once Fishery Management Councils are in operation. 
The 200-mile jurisdiction will extend protection to that 
part of the spiny lobster fishery caught by U.S. fishing 
craft off the U.S. shores in the 12- to 200-mile zone. A 
NMFS official stated that the effect of the act on the regu- 
latory status of the fishery would be determined when the 
Regional Fishery Management Councils begin their operations. 
Bahama's extension of their continental shelf and prohibi- 
tion of fishing on the shelf by other nations has idled 
about 250 U.S.-based vessels and 800 fishermen who worked 
the Bahamian shelf. About 50 of these vessels are crossing 
the Gulf of Mexico into the Caribbean trying to get estab- 
lished harvesting spiny lobster on the shelf areas of 
Guatamala, Honduras and Nicaragua. But their position on 
these shelf areas is tenuous because the countries could 
exercise jurisdictional prerogatives at any time and force 
these fishermen to leave. 
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