APPENDIX VI APPENDIX VI 
67 
E. International Convention for the Northwest Atlantic Fisheries 
The Commission, established by the International Convention for 
the Northwest Atlantic Fisheries is composed of the following member 
Nations: Bulgaria, Canada, Denmark, France, the German Democratic 
Republic, the Federal Republic of Germany, Iceland, Italy, Japan, 
Norway, Poland, Portugal,- Romania, Spain, the Union of Soviet Socialist 
Republics, the United Kingdom and the United States. Implementation 
of the Convention by the United States resulted with the passage of 
the Northwest Atlantic Fisheries Act of 1950 in July of the same year. 
The Convention has been frequently amended in succeeding years. 
The Convention area is divided into six sub-areas and the sum of 
these encompasses the ocean area off the eastern coast of the North 
American continent from the middle Atlantic States of the United States 
to the Davis Straits. Within this area the Commission concerns itself 
primarily with: 1) joint scientific and research activities; 
2) analysis of the statistical data relating to all the living marine 
resources found in the area; and 3) recommendation of joint regulatory 
action in order to permit harvesting of fishery resources around maxig 
mum sustainable yield. Special jurisdiction over hood and harp seals, 
within the convention area, is vested in a panel established in 1966.° 
Enforcement is provided through an inspection scheme which allows for 
boarding of vessels suspected of violating ICNAF regulations. 
Prior to 1969, the Commission's regulatory program had been 
limited almost exclusively to instituting trawl mesh regulations. 
However the great expansion of fishing effort in the Northwest 
Atlantic made it evident that new regulatory approaches specifi- 
cally designed to limit fishing intensity were necessary. The 
Commission at its 1969 annual meeting approved overall haddock 
quotas which entered into force in 1970. In 1970 at its 
annual meeting, the Commission approved quotas for yellowtail 
flounder stocks off New England and took action to limit fishing 
for Atlantic salmon on the high seas. 
Under an amendment to the Convention ratified December 15, 
1971, the Commission received greater flexibility in the types 
of regulations it could propose. The more general authority 
granted under the Protocol provided the basis for the manage- 
ment of fisheries involved by dividing the overall quota into 
national shares. Those quotas were initially applied to the 
herring fishery at a special meeting in February 1972. They 
have subsequently been approved for most of the Major commer- 
cially exploited finfish stocks in the convention area. 
CIRC . 
} Michael J. Jacobs, "United States Participation in International 
Fisheries Agreements," Journal of Maritime Law and Commerce, Vol. 6, 
No. 4, p. 480. 
458 
