These efforts include projects in the areas of environmental quality, 

 environmental forecasting, and seabed assessment. Other countries 

 participating in these projects thus far include Canada, France, 

 Germany, India, Italy, Japan, and the United Kingdom. Additional 

 studies in the area of living resources will soon be underway. It is 

 expected that many other nations, especially those African and 

 South American nations bordering the South Atlantic, will 

 participate in various IDOE programs over the next few years. 



The United States continued its active participation in the marine 

 science programs of the International Hydrographic Organization 

 and the various international fisheries commissions. During 1972 

 NATO undertook a comprehensive review of its oceanographic 

 research program for the purpose of revising it extensively over the 

 next year. 



In April 1973 the United States became a member of the 

 International Council for the Exploration of the Sea (ICES), the 

 oldest international organization dealing with fisheries and marine 

 sciences, dating from 1901. The U.S. became a member in 1912, but 

 terminated its membership during World War I. In recent years we 

 have participated in ICES meetings and scientific projects in an 

 observer status, but our participation was handicapped by lack of 

 full membership. The United States is the last major oceanic nation 

 in the North Atlantic region, the center of ICES activities, to become 

 a full member. This action should significantly enhance the 

 effectiveness of our planning and execution of scientific work in the 

 North Atlantic. 



Foreign Relations Aspects of United States Fisheries 



Jurisdictional disputes between U.S. fishermen and foreign 

 governments continued to be a major issue. U.S. tropical tuna 

 fishermen operating in certain foreign-claimed waters have been 

 subjected to seizures and fines. The U.S. fishermen are viewed by 

 developing foreign nations as representatives of a developed country 

 exploiting resources off their shores. Consequently extensions of 

 jurisdiction and other coastal state measures have been imple- 

 mented to foster development of their own fishing industries by res- 

 tricting the activities of distant-water fishermen. Continuing 

 diplomatic efforts to resolve the jurisdictional dispute of 20-years' 

 standing with Ecuador and Peru in the eastern Pacific tuna fishery 

 failed to achieve a settlement. Seizures continued at a high level in 

 1972, with Ecuador seizing 25 U.S. seiners and assessing a total of 

 $1.7 million in fees. 



Congress and Government agencies took action to aid U.S. fisher- 

 men whose vessels and gear were seized or damaged by foreigners. 

 The tuna industry was helped by Congressional action in late 1972, 

 when the Fishermen's Protective Act was amended. This change 

 expedited compensation for losses caused by illegal seizures and 



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