44 



The effectiveness of the Flagging Agreement will depend upon the extent to which 

 it is ratified. To further this goal, we urge the Senate to provide its advice and con- 

 sent to its acceptance. In adcution, we urge the U.S. to use its leadership to encour- 

 age other nations, particularly those that have historically issued "flags of conven- 

 ience," to become parties to the agreement. Finally, we believe that the Agreement 

 needs to be supplemented by other measures to prevent vessels from undermining 

 international conservation measures that are under discussions at the U.N. Con- 

 ference on Straddling Fish Stocks and Highly Migratory Fish Stocks. 



DRIFTNETS 



Despite the passage of U.N. Resolution 46/215, the fishing fleets of a few nations 

 continue to use driftnets longer than 2.5 kilometers. Noncomplying nations need to 

 be quickly identified, and appropriate enforcement actions imposed in accordance 

 with the High Seas Driftnet Fisheries Enforcement Act (the Driflnet Enforcement 

 Act). Specifically, the U.S. should expeditiously enter into consultations with nations 

 whose vessels are in violation of Resolution 46/215. In cases where consultation does 

 not successfully curb illegal fishing, the U.S. should deny port privileges and pro- 

 hibit the import of fish and fish products as provided for under Section 101 of the 

 Driftnet Enforcement Act. 



Thank you. 



Senator Kerry. Thank you very much, Ms. Speer. Mr. Benton. 



STATEMENT OF DAVID BENTON, DIRECTOR, OFFICE OF EX- 

 TERNAL AND INTERNATIONAL FISHERIES, ALASKA DEPART- 

 MENT OF FISH AND GAME 



Mr. Benton. Thank you, Mr. Chairman. I will be very brief. 



I think that the statements and questions that yourself and Sen- 

 ator Stevens asked the previous panel mirror the kinds of ques- 

 tions and concerns that we have from the State of Alaska. 



Mr. Chairman, in the North Pacific, there has been significant 

 progress made in the last 5 years. Five years or so ago, I can re- 

 member being in front of this committee facing a situation where 

 we had 100 or so Japanese vessels fishing directly on our salmon 

 in the North Pacific under the INPFC, a treaty the United States 

 was a party to. We had 1,000 squid driftnet vessels from three 

 countries fishing roughly 2 million miles of net a year in the North 

 Pacific, and at least some of them were targeting on our salmon. 

 These fisheries were also causing extreme impacts on marine mam- 

 mals and sea birds and other fish. 



And, at the same time, there was this unregulated Donut Hole 

 fishery, conducted by four countries, that was taking 1.4 million 

 metric tons or so of pollock in the Central Bering sea, thus exceed- 

 ing the total pollock harvest inside our own zone. 



Five years later, that Japanese directed salmon fishery on the 

 high seas is gone. We have a new international agreement that 

 prohibits taking salmon on the high seas. That agreement came 

 about through close cooperation between the United States and 

 Russia, and by taking a proposal that was put together between 

 our two countries to Japan and Canada. And those four countries 

 are now signatories to that agreement. 



We have a new agreement on the Central Bering Sea, which we 

 have all heard about here today, that is between six countries. This 

 agreement controls the Donut Hole fishery and reinforces the role, 

 responsibilities, and rights, of the coastal states to govern how a 

 fishery might occur in the Donut Hole. And of course, we have the 

 United Nations resolutions banning the use of high seas driftnets. 



So, that, to us, is very significant progress. 



