25 



eluded in the Chairman's negotiating text. The result we seek would also enhance 

 the position of regional fisheries organizations in terms of their access to wider sci- 

 entiiic information. 



We seek a much stronger conservation ethic in terms of promoting a precaution- 

 ary approach designed by NOAA to model state-of-the-art fisheries management. We 

 played a critical role in the UN Conference's working group on this issue, rec- 

 ommending that distinct management reference points guide fishery conservation 

 and management decisions. We also seek to encourage environmentally safe harvest 

 technologies and to promote a multi-species ecosystem approach that protects not 

 only the target stocks but also associated species, including marine mammaJs and 

 sea turtles. 



We seek the use of much better dispute resolution procedures and enhanced inter- 

 national enforcement and compliance mechanisms. 



We aim to build on the FAO "flagging" agreement, which emphasizes the respon- 

 sibilities of flag states in monitoring and regulating fishing vessels flying their flag. 

 And we are participating in the complementary FAO initiative on developing a Code 

 of Conduct for Responsible Fishing, which involves topics from aquaculture to coast- 

 al zone management, as well as fisheries operations. This initiative will be contin- 

 ued this fall in Rome. 



The result we seek would help in dealing with countries that refuse to join re- 

 gional fishing organizations. They will be required to either join or comply with the 

 regulations of these organizations. 



Finally, our efforts in this UN Conference strongly support the relevant provisions 

 of the UN Convention on the Law of the Sea, a major objective of the United States 

 in these negotiations. 



WHAT THE RESULTS WE SEEK WOULD NOT DO 



Our efibrts are not intended to infringe on the domestic fisheries management 

 rights of the United States, through our regional fishery management councils, for 

 fisheries occurring entirely within the U.S. EEZ. 



Achieving our objective in this Conference would not require any wholesale re- 

 negotiation of our existing international fisheries agreements. In fact, achieving our 

 objective would give us ammunition in our efforts to strengthen some of these agree- 

 ments. It is true that over time we would need to examine each of our international 

 fisheries conservation and management agreements to determine the extent to 

 which the new standards we create in this Conference are already met. Where these 

 standards are not met, we would have to work with our partners to enhance those 

 agreements. 



We do not seek to generate a new over-arching international scientific or manage- 

 ment bureaucracy. We would rely on existing regional fisheries organizations, 

 strengthening them where -necessary, and promoting the building of new arrange- 

 ments only when necessary. 



We would not put our fishing vessels at the mercy of foreign fisheries enforce- 

 ment, since the primary source of enforcement proposed by the UN Conference lies 

 with flag states. Fishing vessels that play by the rules will be judged by their own 

 countries. But vessels that do not, and whose flag states fail to exercise their re- 

 sponsibilities, should be subject to strict international enforcement. 



We would not harm our distant-water fishing interests in terms of their ability 

 to have fair and reasonable access to fishery resources on the high seas, because 

 we would preserve fair opportunities to share the bounty of the ocean, both for 

 coastal nations (including developing nations) and distant-water fishing nations. 

 The obligation to enter into consultations with coastal and other distant-water na- 

 tions to manage these fisheries is one that the United States has consistently ac- 

 cepted and pressed on other countries. 



These UN Conference negotiations will not solve all the problems of the ocean and 

 the communities that depend on them. But this Conference is the best route for- 

 ward. 



CONCLUSION 



In the long-run, our fishermen are better served by binding agreements with our 

 international partners regarding straddling stocks and highly migratory stocks, 

 which: 



• incorporate the best available science but do not shy from conservation for the 

 long-run in the absence of a perfect scientific record; 



• protect the ocean environment and the long-term sustainability of ocean re- 

 sources; 



