APPENDIX VI APPENDIX VI 
vii 
new law. This appears to be an almost impossible task, since it is 
unlikely that many foreign nations fishing off the United States coast 
will agree with the United States unilateral extension of exclusive 
jurisdiction to 200 miles or accede to its demands for the acceptance of 
United States sovereignty over fishery resources within the zone. 
9. In the Northeastern Pacific Ocean, it is likely that the United 
States and Canada can reach agreement quite easily on reciprocal fishing 
rights within the 200-mile zones of each country although a different 
division of the catch between the fishermen of the two nations, in favor 
of United States fishermen, will probably result. 
10. Problems with other nations, such as Japan and the Soviet 
Union which have major and traditional fisheries off the coast of the 
United States, will be complicated by the existence of the Japanese high 
seas salmon fishery and because of the apparent depletion of such major 
species as Alaskan black cod and Pacific hake. It can be anticipated 
that prolonged negotiation will be necessary to resolve the jurisdic- 
tional, conservation, and allocation problems between these nations and 
the United States. Additional problems can be anticipated because of 
the growing fisheries of South Korea, Taiwan and Poland in the Northeastern 
Pacific Ocean. 
ll. On the Atlantic coast, the major international fisheries 
treaties and executive agreements involved the large and mixed stocks of 
fish occurring off the coast of the United States from Cape Hatteras in 
the south to the Canadian border on the north.. About 15 separate species 
of fish are fished extensively and in common by fishermen of the United 
States and about 15 foreign nations. During the past decade there has 
been a decline of about 33 percent in the biomass of fish in the area 
with severe economic consequences to the fisheries of the United States. 
12. Recent action by the Northwest Atlantic Fisheries Commission 
has partially ameliorated the problem. Nevertheless, strong concern on 
the part of fishermen and the general public along the Atlantic coast 
remains, and it is likely that any new agreements with foreign nations 
regarding their continued fishing without mutual acceptance of United 
States sovereignty over fisheries out to a limit of 200 miles will be 
severely criticized by these groups. One can anticipate prolonged 
negotiations and great difficulty in reaching agreements, especially in 
view of the Public Law 94-265. The new Conservation and Management Act 
of 1976 requires acceptance by foreign governments of United States 
absolute sovereignty over the fisheries resources; this will be a bitter 
pill to swallow. 
13. In the Gulf of Mexico the situation is somewhat reversed. 
About 400 United States shrimp fishermen fish off the coast of Mexico 
and other Caribbean nations for shrimp and about 40 fishermen fish 
finfish. Mexico has extended its jurisdiction over fisheries to 200 
miles and it appears certain that many other Caribbean and northeast 
coast South American countries who have not yet extended their juris- 
diction will follow suit very soon. The United States government in 
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