APPENDIX IV APPENDIX IV 
NMFS feels the growth in the Soviet Union's Atlantic 
catch has peaked because new quotas have been established by 
the International Commission for the Northwest Atlantic 
Fisheries. During a September 1975 meeting, the Commission 
reduced the 1976 catch quotas in U.S. waters by 1.4 billion 
pounds, a 22-percent decrease. Quotas were established to 
protect haddock, mackerel, herring, and flounder. Flounder 
is the only one of these species not extensively fished by 
the Soviet fleet. 
The United States and Canada also have acted unilateral- 
ly to protect fishery resources from Soviet exploitation. 
The United States limits Soviet access to major shipping 
ports. Soviet fleets are allowed a maximum of four port calls 
a month at four Atlantic coast ports and are permitted entry 
to other ports only for humanitarian reasons. Canada has 
initiated new fishing quotas calling for a 40-percent re- 
duction in fish taken by the Soviet Union from its coastal 
waters. 
Furthermore, South American and African nations limit 
foreign fishing activities off their coasts to protect fish 
resources against extensive Soviet fishing. 
SIZE AND COMPOSITION OF THE HARVEST 
The Soviet Union is the world's second largest fish 
harvester and is expected to become the largest harvester 
sometime between 1977 and 1980. The Soviet harvest has been 
increasing at a much faster rate than the worldwide harvest. 
From 1950 to 1973 the Soviet harvest increased at an average 
annual rate of 17.9 percent. During the same period the 
world catch increased at an average annual rate of 6.7 per- 
cent. The Soviet catch represented 14 percent of the world 
catch in 1973. The following table shows the species group- 
ings which represented the Soviet harvest for 1973. 
341 
