47 



DERWINSKI and ASSOCIATES 



Edward J. Derwinski 



1800 Diagonal Road 



Suite 600 



Alexandria, Virginia 2231^ 



(703)68'»-'4'*01 

 (703)5'i8-9^'<6 FAX 



August 2, ISS'* 



In 1985, after 15 years of negotiation, the U.S. and Canada concluded 

 the Pacific Salmon Treaty; it is designed to conserve and manage salmon 

 stocks and to reconcile and balance interceptions. The fishing regimes 

 established by the Treaty have all expired. 



Achieving the Treaty, the legislation, and the settlement was extremely 

 difficult. Despite a fundamental mutuality of interest between the 

 United States and Canada in conservation and management of Pacific salmon, 

 agreement could not be achieved for fifteen years. Throughout that 

 period, fishermen on both sides of the border suffered, as many stocks 

 declined, allocations were distorted, and enhancement and research were 

 1 imi ted . 



Since the U.S. and Canada have never agreed on an interpretation of 

 equity, nor on a system of accounting for interceptions, this is reflected 

 in the tortured language of the Treaty and the accompanying Memorandum of 

 Understanding. Had the Canadian position been reflected in the language 

 of those instruments, the United States would never have accepted them; 

 the economic cost of fisheries-dependent communities in Washington State 

 and Alaska would have been far too great. 



