FIGURE 7.-1965 world catch by major fishing areas (based on FAO statistics). [Data based on FAO statistics]

shows the marked absence in our fleets of the larger and generally more efficient ships (Fig. 9).

To assist the fishing industry, the Federal program in marine science and technology has focused in recent years on two main fields: assessing, developing, and managing fish stocks; and offering economic and technical assistance to the commercial fishing industry. Funding for fiscal year 1968 is given in Table IX.

Fishery resource assessment, development, and management depend upon an understanding of fish characteristics, locations, habits, and environment. By acquiring knowledge and disseminating information on these matters, the Bureau of Commercial Fisheries has helped to increase the catch of certain species significantly in recent years. For instance, studies on mortality, predators, feeding habits, growth, and environmental requirements have led to successful restoration of silver salmon stocks in the Columbia River, where the commercial gill net catch of silvers in 1966 was a record 4.2 million pounds. This compares with an average of 1.1 million pounds during 1960-65. Bonneville Dam recorded one of its largest spawning escapements, and sport fishermen in the lower river had a 1966 catch of some 2 million pounds compared with an average 1.1 million pounds during the 1960-65 period. Other programs, by locating and describing the extent, density, and variability of under-used fish resources such as hake on the Pacific coast-have led to the establishment of fisheries that have landed about 8 million pounds of hake since late 1965. Still other studies of ocean currents have located upwellings and helped to define and locate tuna in the equatorial Atlantic Ocean, in the equatorial Pacific, and off the west coast of South America.

The Departments of Interior and Navy have embarked on a joint program to utilize certain tactical environmental prediction data to aid selection of the best fishing depths and fishing grounds.

TABLE IX.—Federal funding related to the food resources of the seas1

1 Does not include small amounts of funds for AEC, Department of Commerce, etc., listed in other "purpose" categories.

2 Listed under "Health" in appendix.

* Listed under "Multigoal Activities" in appendix.

Seashore marshes are nurseries for some commercial fish, and more data are being sought about the ecology of these regions and the behavior of their young inhabitants, particularly where pollution may become significant. Much is being learned about control of predators and disease. Some of this knowledge should help rejuvenate the valuable oyster industry along our Atlantic coast.

Technical and economic assistance by the Federal Government is focused on improving harvesting techniques, new processing methods and products, new types of vessels, as well as new markets and economic analyses. A midwater trawling system, for example, enabled

FIGURE 9.-Comparisons of U.S. fishing vessel tonnage with Japan and Spain.

small fishing vessels to capture over 4 million pounds of Pacific hake in Puget Sound, Wash., during the first six months of 1966. Future efforts are aimed at developing techniques for harvesting some of the

Gulf of Mexico.

Processing investigations sponsored by the Atomic Energy Commission have revealed that use of nuclear energy for pasteurization by irradiation of fishery products will allow certain species to be kept "sea fresh" longer. Engineering studies have been started to develop mechanical methods for removing the meat from blue crabs and to devise a sucessful shucking machine for the vast stocks of calico scallops off the coast of Florida.

Under its assistance programs, the Federal Government granted $1 million in subsidies in fiscal year 1966 for construction of seven new fishing vessels; in addition, federally insured mortgages amounting to $1.9 million were approved last year for construction or reconstruction of 30 vessels. Ninety-two direct loans, totaling $2 million, were made to owners and operators of fishing vessels. Two 296-foot stern trawler factory ships will be completed in the spring of 1968, the first of this type to be constructed in this country. Federal aid was granted in fiscal year 1966 in the amount of $3.8 million to States for financing fishery research and development projects.

Although not contributing in a major way to food from the sea, sport fishing is increasingly important to our leisure activity. The number of serious salt water sports fishermen was estimated at 8.3 million in 1965, and it is growing faster than the national population. Sport fishing, along with commercial fishing, should benefit from research on ocean fish stocks.

International Fishing Agreements

International agreements will continue to be of vital importance to the prudent use of world fishery stocks. In the past we have depended upon some seventeen international fishing conventions and agreements to resolve conflicting fishing interests. International arrangements for taking fur seal, halibut, and sockeye salmon in the Pacific Ocean have been particularly effective for conservation. Bilateral agreements have recently been developed to regulate Soviet and Japanese fishing for king crab on the U.S. Continental Shelf and in the Bering Sea. A new convention concerning Atlantic tuna awaits Senate ratification, and conservation measures have recently been applied for the first time to Pacific yellowfin tuna. In general, U.S. fishermen feel that most of these regulations have helped them, but issues remain concerning foreign fishing activities off our coasts.

Because of increased foreign fishing in our coastal waters, Congress enacted legislation during 1966 extending our fishery zone to twelve miles, a limit widely adopted by other nations. The extension of fishing jurisdiction will not, however, resolve the conservation problem for many stocks of fish found along U.S. coasts.

In cases where American fisheries are not competing effectively with their foreign counterparts, institutional constraints have been cited as a principal cause. Domestic laws, customs, regulations-both international and local-limit the catch of a fisherman or group of fishermen. The restrictions include limitation on the area to be fished, fishing season, type of gear, boats, or the fishing techniques.

In private fishing grounds, it is quite natural and expected that rules are advantageous to the owner. Private property of individuals or the territorial waters of nations are often thus regulated. When there is common access and ownership, however-e.g., the resources of the high seas or when the resources are owned by a political entity but open to public harvesting-e.g., the oysterbeds in Chesapeake Bay-regulation is more difficult.

Regulation may be necessary to mediate conflicting user interests, such as between sport and commercial fishing. Restrictions may also be imposed to conserve a sustainable supply. Such measures, in the form of limited seasons and limited take per person, are commonly and successfully applied to inland sport fishing and game but these measures are not so adaptable to commercial fishing on the open seas. Here other solutions have been employed, including the controversial device of limiting the efficiency of the catching equipment.

As more fishermen participate in fisheries, the share for each fisherman diminishes. In the future it may be necessary to consider these problems more broadly and to initiate new forms of international cooperation and management for the high seas fisheries. This is especially important as nations move to industrial methods and thus increase the threat to maintaining sustainable yields.

The initiative discussed next carries an implicit obligation: to develop a unified global approach to fisheries that harmonize national interests, conservation needs, and economic incentives.

A New Initiative for the Future

We propose to embark on an intensified, long-range program to exploit the oceans as a source of food to help feed the undernourished people of the world. This program would begin to implement provisions of the Marine Resources and Engineering Development Act of 1966 and respond to the expressed intentions of the Nation to make effective use of the sea in the war on hunger.

The primary objectives are:

-to alleviate human hunger by long-range programs carefully designed to extract more usable food from the sea, by the United States and other nations;

-to assume international leadership by policies that look to peace