Fisheries Activities 



NACOA finds two recent Government actions — the pending High Seas Fisheries 

 Bills and the State Federal Management Program of the Fisheries Service — 

 welcome progress in laying the necessary groundwork for the species approach 

 to the management of the coastal fisheries. However, NACOA does not feel that 

 some progress is enough progress. Without a national planning effort such as 

 that recommended last year, it will not be possible to allocate effort where it 

 does the most good. Overview planning is therefore again discussed. In addition, 

 NACOA emphasizes the need for economic regulation and uniform national and 

 international enforcement, without which conservation or utilization plans could 

 never be made effective. 



Introduction 



The predicament of the U.S. commercial fisheries remains acute. The 

 trend which saw the U.S. -supplied share of the fishery products the Nation 

 consumes drop in less than twenty years from about 70 percent in 1955 

 to about 35 percent in 1972 shows no sign of being reversed. If this con- 

 tinues, the pursuit, in the United States, of this ancient calling could be 

 weakened beyond recovery. 



The tangle of fisheries problems shows little sign of easing although at 

 least two important positive Government actions, now underway and 

 consistent with a national approach compatible with localized capabilities 

 can only have a beneficial effect. The first is consideration of legislation 

 such as the High Seas Fisheries Bills, HR 4760 and S 1069. The second 

 is the start, even if slowly, of the National Marine Fisheries Service 

 (NMFS) State/Federal Management Program. 



These two actions are interrelated. The High Seas Fisheries Bills would 

 provide a broad Federal authority on the basis of which actions may be 

 taken. The NMFS State/Federal Program would help select the actions 

 which ought to be taken. 



In more detail: HR 4760 and S 1069 provide for Federal conservation 



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