Recommendation : 



The Bureau of Commercial Fisheries should be 

 reorganized to achieve: program rather than pro- 

 ject orientation, National rather than regional 

 determination of programs priorities, and greater 

 flexibility in its use of funds and manpower. BCF's 

 budget should be expanded moderately. 



Production of many important species of fish 

 and shellfish depends on the preservation of 

 adequate environmental quality in estuarine and 

 shoreline areas. The present division of authority 

 and inadequate scientific basis for management of 

 our estuarine areas have opened the door to 

 activities that inflict heavy damage on fisheries as 

 well as on other potential beneficial users of these 

 waters. 



Recommendation : 



Fishery scientists and management personnel must 

 participate with other relevant disciplines in a fully 

 integrated, large scale attack on the problems of 

 the estuaries and inshore areas. The panel endorses 

 the programs reconmiended in the Report of Panel 

 on Management and Development of the Coastal 

 Zone. 



Much of the panel work of the Commission has 

 focused on gaps in U.S. ocean engineering capa- 

 bility. This has its counterpart in the fisheries. 



Recommendation: 



A much larger and more imaginative effort by the 

 Bureau of Commercial Fisheries and State agencies 

 should be undertaken to: (1) evaluate current 

 procedures for providing current information 

 needed to deploy fishing fleets properly, (2) push 

 development of technological innovations through 

 to the practical application stage, and (3) apply 

 new materials and methods to the two essential 

 operations of high seas fisheries, search (detection) 

 and capture. A major increase is required in the 

 amounts budgeted for applied research in fishing 

 gear, techniques, and materials. 



Fish protein concentrate offers possibilities for 

 extended use of otherwise unmarketable products 

 from the sea and possesses physical characteristics 

 that make it highly useful in supplementing 



protein deficiencies in some critical areas of the 

 world. 



Recommendation: 



The present marginal financing of the food protein 

 concentrate program in the Bureau of Commercial 

 Fisheries should be expanded and firmed up. In 

 addition, BCF must estabhsh better relations with 

 firms in the private sector that must ultimately 

 carry the burden of production, distribution, and 

 sale of end products. 



The fruits of expanded Government programs 

 to improve U.S. fishing technology and resource 

 assessment will not be realized until translated into 

 action by the industry. The decentralized, small- 

 scale character of the U.S. fish harvesting industry 

 and the wide diversity of regional fisheries make it 

 very difficult to make such information available 

 to fishermen in a manner that permits them to use 

 it. 



Recommendation : 



The Bureau of Commercial Fisheries should be 

 authorized to develop an extension service, possi- 

 bly in cooperation with Sea Grant institutions, to 

 bring technical developments into practical appli- 

 cation. 



The present Federal program for modernization 

 and rehabilitation of the U.S. fishing fleets 

 through subsidization of new construction is defi- 

 cient in concept and wUl not achieve the desired 

 objective. In addition, the program as presently 

 formulated is adding to fishing capacity in fisheries 

 already subject to such intensive effort that 

 conservation measures are required. The result is 

 to foster inefficiency for the industry as a whole 

 despite the introduction of new ajid relatively 

 efficient individual units. 



Recommendation : 



The most logical solution to the problem of the 

 subsidy program is to permit U.S. fishermen to 

 buy vessels and equipment anywhere in the world 

 where they can find the best combination of price 

 and performance. If a subsidy program is to be 

 carried on, it should be accompanied by a retire- 

 ment program under which new and efficient 



VII-5 



