width of the territorial sea at 12 miles, coupled with free transit 

 through and over international straits. There appeared to be fairly 

 general agreement on the 12-mile limit, but considerable differences 

 remained on the question of free transit through international 

 straits. On July 28, 1972, the United States made several proposals 

 designed to meet straits states' concerns regarding navigational 

 safety of ships and aircraft when exercising the right of free transit. 

 It was emphasized that the right of free transit is limited to transit 

 only and that the United States was willing to observe reasonable 

 traffic safety regulations consistent with the basic free transit right. 

 These regulations must be internationally agreed upon, not imposed 

 unilaterally by coastal states. The United States suggested that the 

 Intergovernmental Maritime Consultative Organization (IMCO) 

 and the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) were the 

 best international organizations to establish such regulations. It was 

 proposed that the convention provide: (1) for mandatory IMCO 

 traffic separation schemes for vessels: (2) that states exercising free 

 transit rights over straits normally respect ICAO civil aircraft 

 standards and at all times operate with due respect for navigation of 

 civil aircraft; and (3) for strict liability when accidents are caused by 

 deviations from IMCO and ICAO rules. 



The United States submitted a revised fisheries draft article at the 

 Summer 1972 session of the U.N. Seabed Committee. The draft 

 advocates the species approach as the best method of assuring 

 rational use and conservation of all fish stocks. It provides that 

 coastal states be granted effective control over conservation and 

 exploitation of adjacent coastal species, including inspection and 

 arrest authority. This control would extend as far offshore as the 

 range of each fish stock. The coastal state could reserve for itself as 

 much of the allowable catch as it could utilize. The remainder would 

 be made available for catching by fishermen of other nations, subject 

 to conservation measures and reasonable management fees of the 

 coastal state. The extent to which coastal state fishing preference 

 would diminish traditional distant-water fishing would be 

 determined through negotiation between the coastal and distant- 

 water fishing states on the basis of criteria to be agreed upon at the 

 Conference. Anadromous species, such as salmon, would be handled 

 in the same manner as coastal species, with the state of origin 

 exercising control throughout their migratory range. Highly 

 migratory ocean stocks, such as tuna, would be managed by 

 international organizations in which all fishing states and inter- 

 ested coastal states could participate. A compulsory dispute settle- 

 ment procedure within a special commission would be provided. 



The United States believes that the species approach 

 accommodates the interests of both coastal and distant-water 

 fishing states and takes into account the biological characteristics 

 of the fish. Thus, the United States supports broad coastal state 

 jurisdiction over coastal and anadromous fisheries beyond the 



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