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COMMERCIAL FISHERIES REVIEW 



Vol. 28, No. 9 



International (Contd.): 



were fishery education and training; effective 

 utilization of fishery resources, particularly 

 for human consumption; study of the econom- 

 ic aspects of fishery management; and ma- 

 rine pollution. 



The Coniniittee on Fisheries was estab- 

 lished by resolution of the 13th Session of the 

 FAO Conference in 19 65 to advise the FAO 

 Council on fisheries matters. Formation of 

 this high-level Committee, together with the 

 elevation of the former Fisheries Division to 

 a Department, are designed to help FAO a- 

 chieve the status of the leading intergovern- 

 mental body in the field of fisheries. 



Fisheries administrators from all parts 

 of the world attended the Committee's first 

 session. Represented were 29 of the 30 

 member countries; 19 other countries and 6 

 international fishery organizations sent ob- 

 servers. 



FAO Fisheries Committee Chairman Dr. A.W.H. Needier, right, 

 confers with Dr. B,R, Sen, Director-General of FAO, 



The Committee elected Dr. A. W. H. Need- 

 ier of Canada as Chairman and Dr. J. Lab- 

 arthe-Correa of Peru as First Vice -Chair- 

 man. Delegates elected as further Vice- 

 Chairmen were: Mr. J Rouge of France, Dr. 

 K. Chidhambaram of India, Mr. T. Kamenaga 

 of Japan, and Dr. B. Kiop of Senegal. 



Opening Statement : Opening the session, 

 the Director-General Sen of FAO, referred 

 to the "urgent human context" of the Com- 

 mittee's activities. 



"You are meeting at a moment when the 

 world is deeply preoccupied with questions of 

 food supply," he said. "The next twenty or 

 so years are likely to be especially critical. 

 The present rapid growth of population will 

 inevitably maintain its momentum, at least 

 to the end of this century. Without a corre- 

 sponding increase in food supplies, there 

 must be several shortages that might well 

 reach famine proportions. The most press- 

 ing need in many parts of the world is that 

 for high-quality protein." 



He continued: "The problems facing the 

 world cannot be solved by FAO alone. Each 

 and every interested naember nation will need 

 to think and act on its own in many of these 

 matters and each member nation may also 

 need to correlate more closely its policies 

 towards the program of this Organization and 

 those of other international agencies of which 

 it may be a member." 



Statement on International Fishery Prob - 

 lems : In an address to the Committee, given 

 at the invitation of the Director-General, 

 Director Cyril Lucas, Marine Laboratory, 

 Department of Agriculture and Fisheries for 

 Scotland, spoke about international fishery 

 problems from the viewpoint of a scientist. 



Lucas warned that scientists --and the 

 catches --are revealing that even in several 

 of the most successful of the fisheries de- 

 veloped in recent years, fishing has rapidly 

 reached the level at which further effort on 

 the stock in question will yield no greater, 

 and perhaps even less, catch. 



He said: "The very progress of science 

 itself- -from echo location to the prediction 

 or discovery of new productive areas and far 

 more productive sources --accelerates the 

 rate of development and intensifies the prob- 

 lem. The answer is to make more sensible 

 use of our discoveries. Undoubtedly, we are 

 still very far from a rational exploitation of 

 the sea. Somehow, through the actions of na- 

 tions, regional bodies, and the worldwide 

 authority of FAO, we have to find a surer way 

 to manage the presently used resources to 

 the best advantage, while searching with the 

 aid of science for new ones --but new ones 

 which shall, from the beginning, be studied 

 and developed at a speed which will be re- 

 warding and not defeating. This, I feel, is 

 your biggest problem," 



