FORTIETH BIENNIAL. REPORT 49 



PACIFIC MARINE FISHERIES COMPACT 



During their 1947 sessions, the State Legislatures of Washington, 

 Oregon, and California enacted legislation authorizing tlie execution of 

 the Pacific Marine Fisheries Compact. The governors of the three states 

 subsequently executed the compact, the purposes of which are expressed 

 as follows : ' ' The purposes of this compact are and shall be to promote the 

 better utilization of fisheries, marine, shell, and anadromous, which are 

 of mutual concern, and to develop a joint program of protection and 

 prevention of phj^sical waste of such fisheries in all of those areas of the 

 Pacific Ocean over which the States of California, Oregon, and Wash- 

 ington jointly or separately now have or may hereafter acquire juris- 

 diction." 



The compact sets up the Pacific Marine Fisheries Commission, and 

 designates the fisheries agencies of the three states to act as its joint 

 research body. Organizational meetings were held at Portland, Oregon, 

 in November, 1947, and January, 1948. The research staffs held a joint 

 meeting in San Francisco during March, followed by the third meeting 

 of the commission in April at San Francisco. The commission is formu- 

 lating recommendations on conservation legislation for the consideration 

 of the member states, and is coordinating the various research programs. 



The California members of the commission, appointed by the Gov- 

 ernor, are : 



Mr. Eichard S. Croker, Chief, Bureau of Marine Fisheries. 

 Senator Jesse Mayo, Angels Camp. 

 Mr. Eugene D. Bennett, San Francisco. 



A staff member of the Bureau of Marine Fisheries, Mr. D. H. Fry, Jr., 

 has been placed in charge of California 's share of the cooperative research 

 program. 



