which would pass upon the programs of individual States and would have a voice in the programs of 

 other States not now present. 



d. Successful execution of the suggested changes requires augmented staffs, either of the marine 

 fisheries commissions under the regional compacts or of the Bureau of Commercial Fisheries, reflecting 

 the increased responsibilities for planning and coordinating that they would assume under the new 

 arrangements. Under the regional compacts, the staffs of the commissions would be required to work 

 closely both with the States and with the Federal Government preparing and reviewing plans, conducting 

 studies, administering funds, and making recommendations to the commissions to pass upon. Whether 

 additional administrative layers and additional administrative costs are warranted would have to be 

 determined by the States and by the Congress. Under the FWPCA model, the planning, reviewing, and 

 coordinating role would be assumed by the Federal Government, working directly with individual States. 



e. The expense of administration under all three alternatives would be increased, and we believe that 

 it would be in the best interests of the Federal Government to assume a major portion of the increased 

 expense. We have suggested 50 per cent of the administrative expenses of the reconstituted 

 commissions would be an appropriate Federal share of the administrative expenses under the regional 

 compacts, as a minimum. Nevertheless, we anticipate that the States' contributions to the administration 

 of the regional compacts would be substantially increased over their present contributions to the marine 

 fisheries commissions. As an incentive for establishing the commissions, the Federal Government might 

 be authorized to pay 100 per cent of the administrative expenses for two years or some other definitely 

 limited time. Under the FWPCA model, the Federal Government would assume 100 per cent of the 

 increased expense. 



f. As previously alluded to, the power of the new marine fisheries commissions would lie in their 

 control of substantial sums of Federal monies for fisheries research and development, with explicit 

 power to withhold the monies were the States to refuse to act in accordance with the plans that would 

 be adopted, or with the policies and priorities set both by the Federal Goverrunent and by the 

 commissions in conjunction with the Federal Government. Should the economic incentives prove 

 ineffective to achieve the goals defined, the administrative procedures outlined and the enforcement 

 powers would be invoked by the Federal Government under both the FWPCA model and the regional 

 compact with enforcement powers. 



g. Under all three alternatives, the States would still have primary responsibility for planning and 

 administering their State fisheries programs. The planning staff should be directly responsible and 

 accessible to the highest official in the State responsible for administering the fisheries; the plarming 

 function should be a continuing and integral part of the State budgetary function. The plans developed 

 should also serve to assist the State legislature in developing policies and laws, particularly with regard to 

 removal of institutional barriers to sound fisheries management. 



h. Removal of the institutional barriers inhibiting growth of the American fishing industries and 

 recommendations for sound fisheries management will require studies by many different disciplines— the 

 biological, chemical, and physical oceanographic sciences, and the social sciences of economics, political 

 science, and law. The Bureau of Commercial Fisheries, working in conjunction with State governments, 

 the fishing industries, and the academic community, should undertake these studies on regional or 

 species bases as appropriate as a precursor to recommendations to State legislatures and to the Congress 

 to amend or repeal laws and policies inhibiting fisheries development, and as a precursor to reorganiza- 

 tion of interstate or Federal-State cooperative efforts for rational management of fishery resources. 



Vll-88 



