APPENDIX VI APPENDIX 
48 
will accept United States jurisdiction. !4* In the meantime, disputes 
with the major fishing nations will continue on into the year 1977. 
The bilateral agreements with the Soviet Union and Poland, applying 
to waters off the Atlantic coast, will not be extended in their present 
form. These agreements weré necessary because of foreign fishing 
activities in coastal areas beyond 12 miles, heretofore considered to be 
the high seas. They have been partially successful but-have not been 
adequate to prevent depletion of many of the economically important 
fishery resources, nor have they prevented physical interferences 
between United States and foreign fishing vessels and gear. It may be 
necessary to renegotiate bilaterals with these countries, but if so they 
will have to be modified substantially in order to conform even in part 
to the new law. 
It seems unlikely that there will be any great surplus of fish over 
that which the United States fleet can catch. In view of the fact that 
a number of important species have been overfished, cod, haddock, red 
hake, yellowtail flounder, herring, and perhaps even mackerel, one can 
foresee the possibility that the United States will attempt to remove 
all foreign fishing from the waters within 200 miles of the United 
States' Atlantic coast, at least until the stocks have been rehabili- 
tated. This would disrupt the fishing of a number of friendly foreign 
nations as well as the Soviet Union and Japan. Such a position by the 
United States would lead to disputes between our government and member 
governments of the Northwest Atlantic Fisheries Convention. In the New 
England and mid-Atlantic coastal areas, one can foresee a good deal of 
difficulty and continuing conflict between the United States and those 
foreign nations who have traditionally fished off the United States 
Atlantic coast. 
CONCLUSION 
The enormous task of renegotiating some 28 conventions and agree- 
ments among more than 20 nations fishing within the 200-mile coast of 
the United States points up the need for a flexible position by the 
United States in the implementation of the Fishery Management and 
Conservation Act of 1976. In the absence of such flexibility, one can 
predict severe conflicts and disputes that could well affect other areas 
of our relations with countries whose fishermen fish within the 200-mile 
zone off the coast of the United States. 
However, with time, patience, and perseverence, it seems quite 
likely that the United States will have the opportunity to greatly 
improve the conservation of fishery resources found in waters off its 
coast and to improve the economic status of its domestic fishing industry. 
l4since this section was written, agreement has been reached with 
Poland and Korea on the GIFA's. 
439 
VI 
