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Because many fish stocks in the North Atlantic fishing grounds 
are now depleted, the Soviet fishing industry has begun a move to 
previously unexploited grounds in the Southern Hemisphere. The latest 
Soviet fishing thrust has been in the Indian Ocean, the areas around 
Australia and New Zealand, in the Southern Pacific, and off Antarc- 
tica. Soviet expansion in South American waters has been hindered 
by the unilateral extension of fishing zones to 200 miles by most 
South American countries. 
The average annual increase in the Soviet fisheries catch amounted 
to over 18 percent per year during the last 25 years, increasing almost 
sixfold from 1.8 million tons in 1950 to over 10 million tons in 
1975. The most significant factor in this increase is the spectacular 
build-up of the Soviet fishing fleet: as more vessels were added, the 
catches increased. The part played by the increased productivity and 
greater experience of the individual Soviet fishermen in this develop- 
ment is difficult to judge, mainly because the Soviet Fisheries Ministry 
does not publish an annual yearbook of fishery statistics which would 
make such data more than an educated guess. The data exist, but 
they are locked in the desk drawers of Minister Ishkov and the Soviet 
fisheries “‘establishment.”’ 
The U.S.S.R. is today the second largest fishing country competing 
in a neck-and-neck race with the largest fishing industry of the 
world—Japan. Because of the unusual and continued investments in 
its fisheries, the Soviet Union will probably surpass Japan’s 
catches—but not the high productivity of the Japanese fishermen—in 
the next few years. 
The worldwide competition for fishery resources between Japan 
and the Soviet Union will grow even hotter after the 200-mile fisheries 
jurisdiction becomes universally accepted. In a recent article in Pravda 
(Feb. 12, 1976), the U.S.S.R. announced that it does support the 
so-called “‘200-Mile Economic Zone” under which the coastal states 
have sovereign rights to all living and mineral resources within their 
respective zones. By embracing this concept, the Soviet Union is not 
only showing support for a widely-accepted international ‘principle, 
but also allowing for the possibility of its own extension to a 200- 
mile fishery limit. 
To alleviate somewhat the impact of the extended jurisdiction, 
Japanese private companies, supported by the Government, have dur- 
ing the last 10 years, concluded a number of joint fishing ventures, 
or have bought out foreign fishing companies to insure their vessels’ 
access to the fishing grounds in the “‘post-200-mile”’ world. Over 80 
joint fishing ventures have been concluded throughout the world by 
Japanese businessmen. 
There are some indications that the Soviet Ministry of Fisheries 
is currently embarking on a similar policy, imitating—as it often has 
in the past—a successful Japanese precedent. The Soviet thrust is 
concentrated in Africa, but important fishery deals have also been 
concluded with (of all places) Franco’s Spain, France, and other Eu- 
ropean and Asian countries. In South America, the Soviets have been 
less successful except in Cuba where politics are more important 
than fisheries. The Chilean joint venture fell apart after Allende’s 
downfall and in Peru, the Government complains that the Soviets 
promised much (U.S. $60 million) for reasons of good public relations, 
