1164 
5. Responsibility for Diplomatic Aspects of the International Ocean Affairs of 
the United States Government.—The function and purpose of the Department of 
State is to translate into foreign policy and its implementation the technical 
competence in particular fields of other agencies of the Federal Government. It 
has diplomatic expertise and competence but is not provided with technical 
competence in depth, for which it must rely on other appropriate government 
Departments and agencies. 
The international aspects of United States ocean activities have been more 
confused and generally ineffective even than the domestic aspects. 
The brightest spot has been the Office of the Special Assistant to the Secretary 
for Fisheries and Wildlife within its narrow lead agency field, which is the field 
of negotiating conservation agreements and other international activities relat- 
ing to disputes over fishery jurisdiction. It does not have lead agency responsi- 
bility in dealing with fishery or ocean matters with the United Nations and its 
specialized agencies (United Nations Development Program, Resources and 
Transporation Division), (which is lodged in the Legal Advisor’s Office) ; trade 
matters (which is lodged elsewhere in the Department) ; ocean science (which 
is partially handled by International Science and Technical Affairs) ; ocean 
transportation (which is handled otherwise) ; etc. 
It is recommended that the Office of Special Assistant to the Secretary for 
Fisheries and Wildlife in the Department of State be broadened and strengthened 
with duties assigned commensurate with a new title “Office of the Special Assist- 
ant to the Secretary for Ocean Affairs”’. 
6. Responsibility for the Technical Aspects of International Fishery Activities 
of the United States Government.—Technical assistance internationally in fish- 
eries is handled by USAID, and it has been assigned responsibility for the Food 
from the Sea Program. The Department of Agriculture has lead responsibility 
in dealing at a technical level with FAO. Various other parts of the United 
States Government have lead responsibility in dealing with other parts of the 
United Nations and its specialized agencies, the Organization of American 
States, the Organization for African Unity, the European Economic Community, 
and other regional international organizations and agencies. The Bureau of 
Commercial Fisheries, from its present location in the Department of the Interior 
and under its present statutory authority is hesitant to involve itself with United 
States fishery firm activities abroad. 
Professional expertise in fishery science, development, management, technology, 
and administration rests now in the Bureau of Commercial Fisheries in the 
Federal Government and will reside in the Federal Fishery Function as defined 
above. 
It is recommended that the Federal Fishery Function, in consultation with 
the Office of the Special Assistant to the Secretary for Ocean Affairs in the 
Department of State, be given lead agency role in all technical aspects of inter- 
national fishery activities of the United States, including the Food from the Sea 
Program. It should be as responsible and responsive in dealing with United 
States fishing industry activity in the international and foreign field as it is in 
the domestic field. It should deal for the United States on technical fishery 
matters before FAO, IOC, UNDP, World Bank and related agencies, and regional 
international bodies. It should follow and promote the technical fisheries interests 
of the United States as freely and actively in the external as in the internal 
field. 
7. Management of the use of Living Aquatic Resources.—The Federal Fishery 
Function must have the clear authority and responsibility in the ultimate 
instance for the management of the use of living aquatic resources within the 
jurisdiction of the United States in accordance with the policy set out in point 1 
above. The United States can have no policy for the management and use of 
living aquatic resources so long as authority for this is split between fifty inde- 
pendent state governments and the Federal Government. 
Note has been made of the major resources of Pacific sardine, Pacific mackerel, 
and menhaden where the commercial fishery has been eliminated or severely 
reduced in production because there was no clear governmental authority or 
responsibility for applying existing scientific understanding and modern resource 
management practices to the resource. This condition cannot continue. There is 
no marine living resource too large to suffer the same fate. The enormous Peru- 
vian anchovy population was at the point of maximum sustainable yield within 
ten years of the time the fishery began. 
The State Governments now have this authority but have not accepted the 
responsibility in all cases when needed. Where several states are involved in 
