472 
The collection and submission of accurate catch statistics are critical 
in the conservation and management of fisheries. The data form the 
basis for assessing, evaluating, and monitoring the conditions of stocks 
fished by the international fleet so that reasonable harvest levels can 
be set and the continued high productivity of the ocean’s resources 
maintained. 
The requirement of collecting statistics and in promoting research 
is included in all of the agreements which the United States has 
concluded with nations fishing off its coasts. Unfortunately, this 
requirement has not been fully met in the past. On a number of 
occasions, the United States has detected inaccuracies in the data 
submitted by certain countries. These occasions have led to serious 
misunderstandings, for example the Soviet Union and Japan, regarding 
the accuracy of their data. We have been provided assurances by 
the foreign governments that such inaccuracies will not be permitted 
to occur in the future. Such assurances, plus a recognized need for 
an adequate monitoring and enforcement system, will in the long 
run alleviate the present problems of data collection. 
At this point in time, it is manifest that bilateral relationships that 
currently exist with the Soviet Union and indeed with other countries 
who fish off U.S. coasts will necessarily have to be responsive to 
whatever outcome there might be in the Law of the Sea Conference. 
In this light, the present period can be considered as one in which 
change rather than static situations dictate. Unquestionably, the bi- 
lateral fisheries relations and the history behind them will have an 
impact on whatever regime evolves from the LOS Conference. 
