Recommendation : 



A single agency of Government, with broad 

 responsibility for ocean science, technology, and 

 use, should be created. A strengthened National 

 fishery agency, encompassing both sport and 

 commercial fisheries and empowered to implement 

 National objectives for development and manage- 

 ment of U.S. fisheries throughout the world, 

 should be an integral part of that agency. 



II. INTRODUCTION 



Although the spectacular growth of offshore oil 

 production and the prospect of moving to the sea 

 and the sea bottom to meet the insatiable demands 

 for mineral resources have captured the public 

 imagination, living resources of the sea still provide 

 the most important contribution to man's well- 

 being from the marine environment. Unlike many 

 other aspects of the activities with which the 

 Commission is concerned, the industries exploiting 

 the sea fisheries are as old as recorded history; 

 they are shared by every coastal nation in the 

 world and by some that do not border on salt 

 water. To the richer nations, the sea offers 

 diversity in the diet and a healthful, easily digested 

 form of animal protein that can now be made 

 available at all seasons of the year. To the less 

 fortunate nations, the oceans provide one of the 

 more accessible and expansible sources of desper- 

 ately needed protein foods; here success in de- 

 veloping marine fisheries is literally measured in 

 lives. 



The panel has taken as its frame of reference 

 world supplies and demands for living resources 

 from the sea, rather than confining its attention 

 exclusively to the United States, for two reasons. 

 First, the national commitment to the war on 

 hunger, as one aspect of the international effort to 

 close the growing gap between have and have-not 

 nations, lends a special significance to exploratory 

 and developmental programs aimed at creating or 

 expanding local fisheries in underdeveloped areas. 

 The export of American technology, managerial 

 skills, and research results is, in many cases, the 

 most efficient way of contributing to world use of 

 the sea to speed development in the emerging 

 economies. Second, the distinction between 

 national and international fishing operations is 

 becoming less meaningful each day. From the 



demand side, modern processing technology has 

 made seafoods an increasingly important item in 

 international commerce, linking all the major 

 producing nations and consuming centers. From a 

 production standpoint, revolutionary changes in 

 the range, efficiency, and diversity of modern high 

 seas fishing vessels have made it possible for large 

 modern fleets to fish anywhere in the world ocean. 

 Though the deteriorating position of the American 

 fishing fleet is a matter of deep concern to the 

 Commission, its rehabilitation must be viewed 

 within the broader framework of the U.S. contri- 

 bution to both national and international usage of 

 the living resources of the sea. By the same token, 

 efforts to expand the contribution of American 

 flag vessels must be undertaken in full recognition 

 of the international competitive situation: eco- 

 nomic, technological, and legal. 



To simplify the following discussion, the term 

 "fishery" is used in a general sense to include 

 harvesting of all living resources of the sea, 

 including fin fish, mollusks, crustaceans and edible 

 sea-weeds. Brief reference is made to the use of 

 marine plants for non-food purposes and to the 

 possibility of producing pharmaceuticals from the 

 sea. 



III. THE WORLD FISHERIES 



A. The Importance of Marine Fisheries 



Present world production of fish and shellfish, 

 according to the Food and Agriculture Organiza- 

 tion of the United Nations, is in the neighborhood 

 of 57 million metric tons. This represents about 10 

 per cent of total animal protein production. These 

 gross figures conceal, however, the very real 

 economic and social significance of marine fishery 

 products, regionally and nationally. For some 

 nations, food from the sea represents an indispen- 

 sable source of animal protein, without which 

 presently deficient diets would become disas- 

 trously inadequate. Virtually all of Asia and Africa 

 fall in this category. For others, high per capita 

 consumption is not a matter of Ufe, death, or even 

 health, but rather a matter of strong preferences; 

 the Scandinavian countries might be cited as an 

 example. In still other nations food from the sea 

 represents an important source not only of domes- 

 tic protein but of foreign exchange as well. Both 

 fish and fish meal are significant items of intern- 



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