FORTY-FIRST BIENNIAL REPORT 65 



PACIFIC MARINE FISHERIES COMPACT 



As mentioned in the Fortieth Biennial Report, tlie state lejiislatiires 

 of Washington, Oregon, and California enacted legislation aiitliorizing 

 the execution of the Pacific Marine Fisheries Compact dining their 

 1947 sessions. The governors of the three states executed the compact. 

 The Pacific Marine Fisheries Commission was organized at meetings in 

 Portland, Oregon, in November, 1947, and January, 1948. The purposes 

 of the compact are to promote the better utilization of fish wliit-li are of 

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

 vention of waste of such fisheries in all those areas of the Pacific Ocean 

 over which the states have jurisdiction. The fishery biologists of the 

 three states serve as the investigative body of the Marine Fisheries Com- 

 mission. Since its organization, the commission has had meetings in all 

 three states which have been attended by the fishing industry, by official 

 representatives of the three states, by the U. S. Fish and AVildlife Service, 

 and by unofficial representatives from Canada and Alaska. Since its 

 organization, the Pacific Marine Fisheries Commission has : 



1. Published a 64-page bulletin on history and development of the 

 commission and coordinated plans for the management of the 

 fisheries of the Pacific Coast. 



2. Organized an interstate investigation of the ocean salmon fish- 

 eries of the Pacific Coast, including a tagging program of troll- 

 caught salmon in the ocean and a marking program of salmon 

 fry in the streams of the three states. 



3. Recommended workable sets of laws on troll-caught salmon for 

 the three states. These laws were passed as recommended by all 

 three states. 



4. Recommended legislation for the protection of the soupfin shark. 

 The recommended legislation was approved by Oregon and Wash- 

 ington but did not pass the California Legislature. Subsequent 

 development of artificial vitamin A and the importation of less 

 expensive foreign liver oils have combined to eliminate the need 

 for soupfin livers, killed the soupfin industry, and eliminated 

 the need for any further conservation measures. 



5. Inaugurated a sablefish investigation by the three states and with 

 unofficial participation by Canadian and Alaskan investigators. 



6. Helped coordinate the bottom fish studies of the three states. 



7. Made numerous minor recommendations to the investigative 

 staffs of the three states. 



A great deal of benefit has resulted from these interstate meetings, 

 from the development of mutual understanding and interchange of ideas 

 between the biologists and the industry and among the biologists from 

 the different states. 



MARINE RESEARCH COMMITTEE 



In 1947 the California Legislature created a Marine Research Com- 

 mittee to administer funds collected through a special tax of 50 cents per 

 ton on all sardines landed in California. This committee comprises the 



3 — 49247 



