unrestricted or if proper management of the 

 species listed is not exercised. 



Decline in species abundance can be expected 

 for estuarine species in localized areas along the 

 open coast unless a major national effort is 

 undertaken to control pollution and poor use of 

 both water and adjacent land areas. Those suscep- 

 tible to increased pollution are the important 

 species of striped bass, salmon, and seaperch in 

 the estuarine areas and the coastal zone species of 

 croakers, surfperch, flounders, kingfish, queenfish, 

 and jacksmelt. 



C. Management of Sport Fisheries 



1. Requirements 



Apart from the methods of harvesting, there is 

 no real difference in the technical requirements for 

 effective utilization of the living resources of the 

 sea by recreational as opposed to commercial 

 users. There are, however, important differences in 

 political and economic aspects. In both cases, 

 highly valuable species, particularly if accessible 

 and readily taken, may be fished to the point 

 where depletion is threatened and some curtail- 

 ment of fishing mortahty is required. The sport 

 fishery shares, to a lesser degree, the corollary 

 problem of developing new species and new areas 

 not fuUy utilized at present. Either task requires 

 extensive exploratory and biological investigation 

 to estabUsh the distribution, temporal variations in 

 availability, and yield potential of the populations 

 involved. Indeed, many of the same types of 

 devices to regulate the catch are common to both 

 sport and commercial fisheries: catch limits, pro- 

 hibition of certain types of gear, and closed 

 seasons and areas. 



2. Jurisdictional Problems 



The portion of the Bureau of Sport Fisheries 

 and WildUfe budget devoted to marine fisheries is 

 very small. To some extent, this reflects the 

 greater concern of the agency with fresh water 

 fisheries and wildUfe management. It also reflects, 

 however, the same dispersion of authority among 

 the States and Federal Government that was noted 

 in the discussion of commercial fisheries. 



The jurisdictional problems involved are well 

 illustrated by the situation with respect to salmon 



propagation and regiilation on the Columbia River, 

 the greatest single source of Pacific salmon in the 

 continental United States. Salmon hatcheries are 

 operated on the Columbia by both State agencies 

 and the Bureau of Sport Fisheries and Wildlife, 

 with financial assistance from the Bureau of 

 Commercial Fisheries. All of the States con- 

 cerned—Washington, Oregon, and Idaho— have 

 regulatory authority over sport fishing, and in 

 both Washington and Oregon a different State 

 agency has jurisdiction over commercial fishing for 

 the same fish. An interstate compact, the Pacific 

 Marine Fisheries Commission, has some coordinat- 

 ing and investigative authority over troll-caught 

 Chinook and silver salmon from the Columbia. 

 And since Columbia River salmon do not recog- 

 nize State and National boundaries, they are taken 

 in British Columbia waters by commercial and 

 sport fishermen and are at least partially subject to 

 international negotiations. Much effort has gone 

 into coordination with considerable success but 

 coordination is at best a poor substitute for 

 unified analysis and decision-making. 



The level and effectiveness of State programs 

 designed to enhance, regulate, and protect marine 

 and anadromous species of importance to sport 

 fishermen vary widely. As in the case of commer- 

 cial fisheries, there is serious friction in some 

 instances (particularly where a given species is 

 reserved for sportsmen in one State but can be 

 taken by commercial fishermen in an adjoining 

 State). Yet the States have found it very difficult, 

 and in some cases impossible, to achieve uniform 

 regulations covering species that migrate freely 

 over State boundaries. Problems of this sort are 

 made even more difficult by the fact that statistics 

 covering marine sport fisheries are generally more 

 spotty in coverage and less reUable than those 

 covering commercial fisheries. 



Within the individual States, the development 

 and regulation of sport fishing is handled in a 

 number of different ways. In many States, com- 

 mercial and State fishing are under a single agency. 

 In others, separate agencies are responsible for 

 sport and commercial activities even though the 

 same species may be involved. A commission form 

 of agency is common, although in many States the 

 director of the appropriate fishery or fish and 

 game agency is appointed by the governor. Regard- 

 less of the form of organization, the number of 



VII-34 



