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hotsk in 1959. The Soviet-Japanese Fisheries Commission for the 
Northwest Pacific resolved in 1958: 
“Taking into consideration the fact that salmon fishing in the 
open regions of the Okhotsk Sea, along the routes of salmon 
migration to natural spawning grounds, does not provide proper 
conditions for the conservation and enrichment of stocks of these 
valuable fishes, salmon fishing in the open regions of the Sea 
of Okhotsk shall cease as of 1 January 1959.’’3 
A southward extension of the regulatory area, “‘Zone B,’’ came into 
effect in 1962. This increase in restricted areas was accompanied 
by reductions in annual quotas in an effort to conserve fish resources. 
Conservation of Far Eastern salmon resources is discussed at annual 
meetings of the Soviet-Japanese Fisheries Commission. Protective mea- 
sures have been in order to insure the natural reproduction of the 
fish and a higher repletion level in the spawning grounds. Attention 
is also focused on operations to improve biological techniques for 
artificial propagation in aquaculture nurseries. In addition, improve- 
ment projects have been undertaken at Far Eastern river and stream 
spawning grounds in order to improve conditions for artificial propaga- 
tion. 
The recent fisheries talks in June 1975 resulted in an agreement 
to cooperate on a salmon breeding complex in Southern Sakhalin, 
the first joint Soviet-Japanese fish breeding project. This agreement 
reached by the Soviet Fisheries Minister Ishkov and Japanese Agricul- 
ture-Forestry Minister Shintaro Abe in Tokyo provides for a preparato- 
ry meeting of Soviet and Japanese experts to plan the project. Other 
study meetings on scientific and technological cooperation have also 
been scheduled to strengthen fishing relations between the two coun- 
tries. 
The Soviet-Japanese Fisheries Commission also sets the annual 
quota for crab fishing. Historically, the Soviet Government has per- 
mitted Japanese crab fishing from its continental shelf off the west 
coast of the Kamchatka Peninsula. The length of the annual negotia- 
tions directly affects both the quantity and the quality of the crab 
catch. Once the season begins, every day without an agreement harms 
Japanese operations. The profitability of the industry depends upon 
the quality of the crab meat, which is at its best in the beginning 
of the season. 
Citing a severe depletion of resources, the Soviet Union has closed 
certain crabbing grounds and substantially lowered the quota. For 
example, the negotiations in 1974 resulted in a 50 percent decrease 
in the king crab quota from the previous year. In addition, Japan 
was forced to abandon canning ship-type operations in favor of small, 
individual fishing boats. The stiff bargaining posture assumed by the 
Soviet delegation set the tone for the negotiations, which began on 
March 1, 1974. After 57 days of discussions, agreement was reached 
on the salmon, herring, and crab quotas for 1974. The 1975 crab 
fishery talks in Moscow resulted in a total ban on king crab fishing 
off the western coast of Kamchatka, a major crabbing ground. (See 
Table 1 and Figure 1. 
3 Volkov, A. A. ‘‘Maritime Law.” Jerusalem, Israel Program for Scientific Translations, 1971. p. 
88. 
