2. Administrative Organization and Powers 



The Convention requires the States Parties to establish and maintain an International North Pacific 

 Fisheries Commission.'* Each State Party appoints not more than four members to its "national 

 section" of the Commission.'^ All Commission decisions require the unanimous vote of the three 

 national sections (each section has one vote), except when only two participate in a particular fishery.'^ 



The three national sections rotate the offices of the Commission-Chairman, Vice Chairman, and 

 Secretary." 



The Commission is entrusted with the followdng functions: 



a. Study, on request of any State Party, any stock of fish which is under substantial exploitation by 

 two or more of the Parties, and which is not covered by a conservation agreement between the Parties 

 existing at the time of the conclusion of the Convention, for the purpose of determining the need for 

 joint conservation measures. 



b. Decide and recommend necessary joint conservation measures, including any relaxation thereof to be 

 taken as a result of the study, provided that only the national sections of the States Parties engaged in 

 substantial exploitation of the stock of fish may participate in the decision and recommendation. The 

 decisions and recommendations shall be reported regularly to all the States Parties but shall apply only 

 to the parties the national sections of which participated in the decisions and recommendations. 



c. Compile and study the records (excluding the records of individual operations) which, upon the 

 Commission 's request, the States Parties agree to keep and furnish to the Commission. 



d. Submit annually to each State Party a report on the Commission 's operations, investigations, and 

 findings, with appropriate recommendations, and inform each State Party, whenever it deems it 

 advisable, on any matter relating to the objectives of the Convention.^'^ 



In an Annex to the Convention, made an integral part thereof, the stocks of fish subject to the 

 "abstention doctrine" are set forth. In the original Annex, Japan agreed to abstain from fishing, and 

 Canada and the United States agreed to continue to carry out necessary conservation measures, with 

 respect to (1) halibut originating along the coast of North America and found in the Convention area off 

 the coasts of Canada and the United States; (2) herring found in the Convention area off the coasts of 

 Canada and the United States, exclusive of the Bering Sea and of the waters of the North Pacific Ocean 

 west of the meridian passing through the extremity of the Alaskan Peninsula; and (3) salmon originating 

 in the rivers of Canada and the United States and found in the Convention area off the coasts of Canada 

 and the United States, exclusive of the Bering Sea and of the waters of the North Pacific Ocean west of a 

 provisional line following the meridian passing through the western extremity of Atka Island.* ' 



Canada and Japan agreed to abstain from fishing, and the United States agreed to continue to carry 

 out necessary conservation measures with respect to salmon originating in the rivers of the United States 

 and found in the Convention area of the Bering Sea east of approximately the line of meridian 175° west 

 longitude and the Une following the meridian passing through the western extremity of Atka Island.* ^ 



The Commission is given the following additional duties with respect to any stock of fish subject to 

 this "abstention doctrine:" 



VIII-111 



