Except for fisheries managed under interna- 
tional convention, U.S. fisheries are regulated by 
the States under a maze of regulations adopted 
over the years, many for reasons long-forgotten. 
Numerous State and local laws and regulations 
were designed to protect established small-boat 
fishermen by restricting the use of efficient de- 
vices. 
Such laws increase fish production costs in the 
United States. For example, laws and regulations 
forbid the use of traps to capture salmon; prohibit 
the taking of herring or anchovy for reduction 
purposes; limit the size and nature of nets; and 
forbid the use of sonar to detect fish schools. Such 
restrictions must be eliminated. The States’ in- 
terest in the problem is beginning to grow and 
must be encouraged. 
Several avenues are available to foster repeal of 
outmoded State laws and regulations. One is to 
develop improved knowledge and understanding of 
the ocean and its living resources to guide State 
legislators and administrators in improving conser- 
vation regulations. The Sea Grant Program should 
help augment the technical capabilities of State 
fishery officials, through support of fishery 
sciences and education in State universities, which, 
in turn, should provide better advice regarding 
fisheries regulations. 
Problems of conservation and preservation of 
natural habitats are not always local, but rather are 
often interstate in scope. As indicated in the 
Marine Resources Panel report, the tendency 
toward parochialism in the individual States has 
led to fragmented solutions to fishery problems. 
For example, the East Coast States are unable to 
agree On a management program in the menhaden 
fishery despite evidence of depletion. In such cases 
a comprehensive unified management plan is re- 
quired. 
Accordingly, this panel recommends that a 
mechanism be established under which the U.S. 
Government can require the development by the 
States of coordinated management measures for 
interstate fisheries subject to potential depletion if 
and when the States fail to meet the responsibility 
themselves. Similar Federal-State mechanisms have 
been established in the past. 
6. Surveys 
U.S. coastal waters contain some of the richest 
fishing grounds in the world. Seven billion pounds 
are caught each year (U.S. and foreign) and the 
maximum sustainable yield is at least 30 billion 
pounds per year. Some estimate the potential yield 
of underutilized resources as high as 45 billion 
pounds annually. Given proper incentives, within 
three years the industry should be able to increase 
its present annual catch by 20 per cent and within 
10-20 years by several hundred per cent. Much of 
the increased yield would include species presently 
used and close relatives not yet utilized. Examples 
of underutilized species include Alaska shrimp, 
scallops and tanner crab; Pacific and Gulf 
anchovy; Gulf and Atlantic thread herring; Pacific 
hake; and Tropical Atlantic and Pacific skipjack 
tuna. 
These fish could be exploited more econom- 
ically if comprehensive surveys were initiated and 
kept up to date to establish the parameters of the 
resource. Rapid action and strong financial sup- 
port are required. The last survey was authorized 
by Congress in 1944 and completed in 1945. 
Depending upon the fishery stock in question, the 
new surveys proposed may review existing knowl- 
edge and/or study the resource itself to acquire 
new knowledge. Sport fisheries also should be 
included because of the ecological interaction 
between all stocks in a given area. 
Recommendation: 
The Government should initiate and sponsor con- 
tinuing surveys of U.S. coastal and distant-water 
fishery resources, including sport fisheries. 
7. Pollution 
Pollution of the Great Lakes, estuaries, bays, 
and certain offshore areas has a serious and 
increasingly critical impact on domestic fisheries. 
The panel endorses the pollution abatement pro- 
posals made in the Panel Report on Management 
and Development of the Coastal Zone and in the 
Marine Engineering and Technology Panel Report 
and emphasizes that these actions can help to 
achieve the goal of rehabilitating commercial 
fisheries. 
8. Information Exchange’ ’” 
Before scientific research and discoveries can 
become an operational part of an industry’s 
knowledge and capability, the industry must be 
27 The subject of fishing technology is discussed in 
further detail in the Report of the Panel on Marine 
Engineering and Technology. 
V-41 
