APPENDIX VI APPENDIX VI 
THE EFFECTS OF FOREIGN FISHERIES 
Overfishing 
It has been assumed by. many that the reason for the low catch by 
United States fishermen and the depletion” of fishery resources lying 
off the United States coast has been primarily caused by foreign fisher- 
men. This is only partially correct. The primary cause of the decline 
of many fish stocks of importance to United States' fishermen has been a 
lack of a rational fishery management and control by the United States. 
It is true that foreign fishermen have contributed to overfishing® of 
some very important stocks of fish lying off the United States coast, 
(e.g., the haddock of Georges Bank and Pacific Ocean perch off the coast 
of the Pacific Northwest), but another serious cause of depletion has 
been overfishing by fishermen of the United States. The Draft National 
Fishery Plan® lists species of fish they consider to be depleted as of 
August, 1975. The following species were listed:’ 
Alaska pollock Pacific salmon 
abalone Pacific sardine 
Atlantic herring pendalic shrimps 
Atlantic menhaden clams 
Atlantic salmon river herring 
Atlantic sea scallops rock fishes 
flukes sea run trout 
haddock striped bass 
halibut yellowfin sole 
oysters yellowtail flounder 
To this list we would add the sturgeons, bay scallops and Olympia oysters. 8 
Of these 23 depleted species, 15 have been fished exclusively, or almost 
exclusively, by fishermen of the United States and have been under 
almost exclusive United States control. 
It is becoming quite clear, however, that Alaskan pollock has been 
overfished primarily by Japanese and Soviet fisheries in the Bering Sea. 
The catch by all foreign fishermen reached almost 2 mmt in 1972 and has 
4Depletion is defined as the reduction of the size of the stock 
below that which will, on the average, yield the maximum sustainable 
yield. 
SOverfishing is used in the sense of fishing at a rate that will 
produce or maintain depletion. 
6The Draft National Fishery Plan is an unpublished report widely 
circulated during the spring of 1976 by the National Marine Fisheries 
Service, NOAA, U.S. Dept. of Commerce. It is in the process of publication. 
7Tbid. 
8Personal knowledge of the author and statistical reports of the NMFS. 
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