MERCHANT MARINE AND FISHERIES NINETY-FIFTH CONGRESS FIRST SESSION ON H.J. Res. 240 TO GIVE CONGRESSIONAL APPROVAL TO CERTAIN GOVERNING TO AMEND THE FISHERY CONSERVATION AND MANAGEMENT ACT ZONE ON MARCH 1, 1977 FEBRUARY 7, 22, 1977 H.R. 3753 TO BRING CERTAIN GOVERNING INTERNATIONAL FISHERY AGREE FEBRUARY 23, 28, 1977, H.R. 4954 TO AMEND THE FISHERY CONSERVATION ZONE TRANSITION ACT DEPAR Printed for the use of the Committee on Merchant Marine and Fisheries 89-712 O U.S. GOVERNMENT PRINTING OFFICE WASHINGTON: 1977 COMMITTEE ON MERCHANT MARINE AND FISHERIES JOHN M. MURPHY, NEW YORK, Chairman THOMAS L. ASHLEY, Ohio WALTER B. JONES, North Carolina GERRY E. STUDDS, Massachusetts CARROLL HUBBARD, JR., Kentucky LES AUCOIN, Oregon NORMAN E. D'AMOURS, New Hampshire JERRY M. PATTERSON, California LEO C. ZEFERETTI, New York JAMES L. OBERSTAR, Minnesota BARBARA A. MIKULSKI, Maryland PHILIP E. RUPPE, Michigan PAUL N. MCCLOSKEY, JR., California EDWIN B. FORSYTHE, New Jersey ROBERT E. BAUMAN, Maryland Beasley, Henry R., Negotiating Division, Department of Commerce... Blatt, Herbert, Assistant General Counsel, NOAA, Department of Blondin, Carmen, Assistant Director for International Fisheries, Dykstra, Jacob J., member, New England Regional Fishery Manage- Guimond, Alan, Atlantic Offshore Fish & Lobster Association_ Powell, Stephen, Counsel, Department of Commerce_ Ridgway, Rozanne L., Deputy Assistant Secretary of State for Oceans Schoning, Robert W., Director, National Marine Fisheries Service, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, Department Sharood, Richard, counsel, National Federation of Fishermen. Sloan, Lucy, Executive Secretary, National Federation of Fishermen__ Storer, James A., International Fisheries Program, NOAA, Depart- 69, 216, 278 Prepared statement.. 72, 286 IV Additional material supplied by Library of Congress, memorandum re U.S.-Canada bilateral fisheries agreement of February 24, 1977-- Page 290 NOAA: Bering sea snail_ 187 Disagreement in numbers.. 184 Foreign and U.S. catch off U.S. coasts by selected species, 1974–76 179 Foreign Fishery Allocations_ 40 Halibut take_ 270 Japanese catch and quotas off U.S. coasts by species, 1974-77, 145 Japanese catches off U.S. Atlantic and Pacific coasts 1974–76 144 Value of sea scallop catches in INCAF areas 5 and 6 by Canada 266 INTERNATIONAL FISHERY AGREEMENTS MONDAY, FEBRUARY 7, 1977 HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES, SUBCOMMITTEE ON FISHERIES AND WILDLIFE CONSERVATION AND THE ENVIRONMENT, COMMITTEE ON MERCHANT MARINE AND FISHERIES, Washington, D.C. The subcommittee met, pursuant to call, at 10:12 a.m. in room 1334, Longworth House Office Building, Hon. Robert L. Leggett, Chairman of the subcommittee, presiding. Mr. LEGGETT. The Subcommittee on Fisheries and Wildlife Conservation and the Environment will please come to order. As I am sure all of you are aware, this subcommittee reported legislation in the last Congress that resulted in the enactment of Public Law 94-265, the Fishery Conservation and Management Act of 1976, better known as the 200-mile fisheries zone act. That act provides that no foreign fishing vessel shall be allowed to fish after March 1, 1977, within our 200-mile fisheries zone unless the foreign nation concerned has signed a Governing International Fishery Agreement (GIFA) with the United States and has secured a permit for each of its fishing vessels planning to fish within the zone. Because of the delay in obtaining GIFA's with foreign nations wishing to fish off our shores and because of the delay in transmitting the signed GIFA's with foreign nations wishing to fish off our shores and because of the delay in transmitting the signed GIFA's to the Congress and applications pursuant thereto to the appropriate Regional Fishery Management Councils, it now becomes necessary to pass legislation that would waive the 60-day congressional GIFA review period and the 45-day council review period required by the act in order to allow foreign fishing to continue after March 1 by those nations that have signed GIFA's. To address this problem and to assure that the March 1 implementation date could be met, Congressman Forsythe and I, on January 19, introduced legislation in the form of H.R. 2081, which is designed to accomplish these purposes. Briefly explained, H.R. 2081 would waive the 60-day congressional review period for GIFA's signed before February 15, 1977, and the comment period for the Regional Councils and the public with respect to applications submitted pursuant to such signed GIFA's and it would postpone from March 1 to May 1, the requirement that every foreign fishing vessel (1) |