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Statement of Robert P. Zuanich 

 Purse Seine Vessel Ownera Association 



Before the Subcommittee on Fisheries Management, 



Environment and Natural Resources 



United States House of Representatives 



August 2, 1994 



Distinguished Chainnan: 



Recent developments surrounding the negotiations with Canada over the Pacific 

 Salmon Treaty are creating concern among commercial salmon fishermen in 

 Washington State. Fishery regime proposals appear to be under consideration 

 which would trade away to Canada hard-earned U.S. fishing rights on Fraser River 

 stocks passing through the Puget Sound irea. And the non-Tribal fishery alone has 

 been suggested for this sacrifice. 



As you know, Canada's argument in this matter has been that its interceptions of 

 U.S. bound salmon have diminished while the U.S. is intercepting increasing 

 numbers of Canadian bound salmon This, in Canada's view, has created an 

 imbalance in so-called "equity" in each country's interceptions of the other's fish. 

 Unfortunately, this claimed Canadian equity imbalance is directly attributable to 

 Canada's own failure to live up to the equally important conservation principle of 

 the Pacific Salmon Treaty. And it is attributable to U.S. conservation of Canadian 

 salmon. 



It is critical to understand that both countries must be balanced in conservation 

 before it is appropriate to consider whether they are balanced in equity 



When one country conserves the other's sahnon, it does so because it expects those 

 nms to rebuild and some day contribute to its fijture salmon fishenes. This is what 

 Washington State fishermen have done for decades in their Puget Sound Fraser 

 River fisheries. And it is what has been done in Alaska. Now that our U.S. 

 conservation has paid off in strong, healthy Canadian cross-boundary runs, those 



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