MARINE MAMMAL COMMISSION — Annual Report for 1992 
On 5 August 1992 the Service replied to the 
Commission’s letter noting that it agreed that the is- 
sues raised pertained to a broad range of species and 
several fisheries. It also noted that the Service 
planned to convene a workshop early in 1993 to 
examine the bycatch characteristics of different 
species. Workshop participants are expected to be 
asked to identify appropriate statistical methodologies 
for calculating optimal levels of observer coverage to 
achieve statistically reliable bycatch estimates for 
specific fisheries. 
Actions by the United Nations 
In December 1989 the United Nations General As- 
sembly passed Resolution 44/225, sponsored by the 
United States and other nations. Among other points, 
the Resolution called upon international fishing 
organizations to review data on large-scale high seas 
driftnet fishing. It also called upon the international 
community to suspend such fishing by 30 June 1992 
unless effective conservation and management agree- 
ments jointly concurred in by concerned international 
parties were developed to ensure that unacceptable 
impacts were prevented. 
During the next two years, actions were taken in 
support of the Resolution by individual nations, 
international fisheries organizations, and the United 
Nations. These actions led to a reconsideration of the 
matter at the 46th Session of the United Nations 
General Assembly late in 1991. During that session, 
representatives of the United States and Japan agreed 
to support a driftnet fishing moratorium of indefinite 
length that could be phased in by the end of 1992. 
The United States, Japan, and 28 other nations 
subsequently joined in cosponsoring Resolution 
46/215 entitled “Large-Scale Pelagic Driftnet Fishing 
and Its Impact on Living Marine Resources of the 
World’s Oceans and Seas.” The General Assembly 
adopted the Resolution by consensus on 20 December 
1991. Among other points, it calls on all members of 
the international community to: (1) reduce large-scale 
high seas driftnet fishing effort by 50 percent by 30 
June 1992; (2) continue to ensure that driftnet fisher- 
ies do not expand into new areas; and (3) fully 
implement a global moratorium on all large-scale 
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driftnet fishing on the high seas of all oceans and seas 
by 31 December 1992. 
The Resolution does not address fishing with large- 
scale driftnet gear within the Exclusive Economic 
Zones of individual countries, nor does it call for 
suspending the use of small driftnets (less than a few 
kilometers in length) on the high seas. However, full 
compliance with its moratorium provision should 
substantially eliminate the risk of any further adverse 
effects by large-scale driftnet fishing on stocks of 
target and non-target species and pelagic ecosystems. 
Surveillance and enforcement arrangements likely will 
be needed to ensure compliance with the moratorium. 
The 1992 Fishing Season 
With adoption of United Nations General Assembly 
Resolution 46/215, Japan, Taiwan, and the Republic 
of Korea continued to permit their nationals to engage 
in large-scale high seas driftnet fishing in the North 
Pacific Ocean during 1992. Based on inquiries of 
each nation by the Department of State, however, all 
three nations had developed plans to reduce fishing ef- 
fort by their nationals by at least 50 percent by 30 
June, as called for in the Resolution. Each country 
employed a different combination of measures, but 
generally this objective was to be met by reducing the 
number of permitted driftnet fishing vessels, the 
length of net allowed to be deployed, the length of the 
fishing season, and/or the areas allowed to be fished. 
As noted above, enforcement agreements between 
the United States and each of the driftnet fishing 
nations remained in force throughout 1992. Accord- 
ingly, key provisions, such as restrictions on the time 
and area of fishing operations, limits on the number 
of participating vessels, cooperation in high seas 
enforcement, and transmission of fishing catch and 
effort data to the United States were continued 
through the end of 1992. 
Pelly Amendment Certifications 
On 13 August 1991 the Secretary of Commerce 
certified to the President that both the Republic of 
Korea and Taiwan had failed to implement adequate 
driftnet monitoring and enforcement agreements with 
