th 24 Annual Report of the PACIFIC MARINE FISHERIES COMMISSION FOR THE YEAR 1971 TO THE CONGRESS OF THE UNITED STATES AND TO THE GOVERNORS AND LEGISLATURES OF WASHINGTON, OREGON, CALIFORNIA, IDAHO, AND ALASKA th 24 Annual Report of the PACIFIC MARINE FISHERIES COMMISSION FOR THE YEAR 1971 To the Congress of the United States and the Governors and Legislatures of the Five Compacting States, Washington, Oregon, California, Idaho and Alaska, by the Commis- sioners of the Pacific Marine Fisheries Commission in Compliance with the State Enabling Acts Creating the Commission and Public Laws 232; 766; and 315 of the 80th; 87th; and 91st Congresses of the United States Assenting Thereto. Respectfully submitted, PACIFIC MARINE FISHERIES COMMISSION H. JACK ALVORD J. PAT METKE G. RAY ARNETT FRANK A. MOORE JOHN D. CALLAGHAN WALLACE H. NOERENBERG HAROLD P., CARY FRANK PERATROVICH JOSEPH I. EOFF TED G. PETERSON JOSEPH C. GREENLEY McKEE A. SMITH EDWARD G. HUFFSCHMIDT VINCENT THOMAS PAUL C. KEETON T. E. THOMPSON ALLAN L. KELLY % THOR C. TOLLEFSON HAROLD E. LOKKEN JAMES WHITTAKER * Headquarters Office: PACIFIC MARINE FISHERIES COMMISSION JOHN P. HARVILLE, Executive Director EVELYN KORN, Office Secretary 342 State Office Building 1400 S.W. Fifth Avenue Portland, Oregon 97201 LEON A. VERHOEVEN, Editor October 1972 Table of Contents Page Introduction __________________________________________________________ 3 International ___________________________ ^ _________________________ 3 National ________________________________________________ .... ____ 3 PMFC and Local Events_____________________________________________ 4 Pacific Coast Fisheries _________________________________ .... _________ 4 Administration _______________________________________________________ 6 Personnel _______________________________________________________ 6 Conferences and Meetings __________________________________________ 7 Administrative and Service Activities _________________________________ 7 Commission Actions ___________________________________________________ 10 Action on 1970 Resolutions__________________________________________ 10 General Actions at the 1971 Annual Meeting ____________________________ 12 1971 Resolutions ______________________________________________ 13 In Support of Fisheries Management by Coastal, Anadromous, High Seas Groupings-i_______________________________________ 13 Opposition to Certain Federal Documents Provisionally Delimiting the Territorial Sea, Contiguous Zone, and Certain Internal Waters of the United States_______________________________________ 13 Establish Minimum Flows for Fisheries — Snake and Columbia Rivers 14 Recommended Easing of Alien Fishing Act Provisions in Relation to Boundary Trespass by Canadian Fishermen in the Strait of Juan de Fuca ______________________________________________ 14 In Support of Strengthening Troll Salmon Enforcement Procedures:— 14 Marine Mammal Management ________________________________ 14 Immediate Reimbursement of Fines for Unlawful Vessel Seizures by Foreign Nations _______________________________________ 15 Election of Officers;'1972 Meeting Location_____________________________ 15 Financial and Audit Reports _____________________________________________ 15 Financial Support, 1971 _____________________________________________ 15 Audit Report ___________________________ , ________________________ 16 Appendix 1—Status Reports ___________________________________________ 17 Status of the 1971 Pacific Coast Albacore Fishery _________________________ 17 Status of the 1970-71 Pacific Coast Dungeness Crab Fishery ________________ 19 Status of the 1970 Salmon and Steelhead Sport Catches in the Pacific Coast States 20 Status of the 1971 Pacific Coast Troll Salmon Fishery _____________________ 21 Status of the 1971 Pacific Coast Shrimp Fishery __________________________ 23 Status of the 1971 Pacific Coast Trawl Fishery .. ---------------------------------------- 27 Appendix 2 — Panel Summaries __________________________________________ 30 Indian Fishing Problem _____________________________________________ 30 State-Federal Coordination in Research and Management of Fishery Stocks (and U.S. Policy Preparations for Law of the Sea Conference) ------------------------ 33 Appendix 3 — Compact and Bylaws ______________________________________ 40 Pacific Marine Fisheries Compact ____________________________________ 40 Rules and Regulations of the Pacific Marine Fisheries Commission --------------- 41 Advisory Committee Rules and Operating Procedures ____________________ 44 24th Annual Report — 1971 INTRODUCTION California, Oregon and Washington is provided. A meeting of U.S. and U.S.S.R. representatives was held aboard a Russian ^International trawler on June 8 off Neah Bay, Washington to discuss Soviet The first preliminary meeting for the 1973 Law of the Sea fishing off those States. Conference was held in March 1971 at Geneva, Switzerland. Canada has agreed to permit Soviet vessels to enter certain Sub-committees were formed and instructed to prepare pre- British Columbia ports at will for services and supplies. A liminary agenda for the 1973 Conference. At the second conference was held at Nanaimo in the fall of 1971 between preliminary meeting in July and August the U. S. delegation Canadian and Soviet fishery representatives as a sequel to presented a draft Article III, proposing that fisheries be man- earlier conferences, and for the purpose of closer cooperation aged under three categories: coastal, anadromous, and highly in research programs. migratory. Canada and the United States in December 1971 issued a In the United States there was much concern about the lack statement calling for immediate cessation of Atlantic salmon of fishing industry representatives on the U. S. delegation to fishing on the high seas. In addition the U.S. Congress passed the Law of the Sea meetings, and about the delegation's recom- a bill which the President signed into law on December 23, mendation that fish resources more than 12 miles offshore which prohibits importation of fishery products from nations should be managed by international commissions similar to the "conducting fishing operations in a manner or under circum- International Commission for the Northwest Atlantic Fisheries stances which will diminish the effectiveness of an inter- (ICNAF). Fishermen and officials from Atlantic Coast States national fishery conservation program." have questioned the effectiveness of ICNAF and other inter- Nearly 20 years of harassment of U.S. tuna boats by South national commissions. Some countries have suggested estab- American nations claiming 200-mile territorial limits seemed lishment of economic zones extending offshore a reasonable to have reached a crisis in late November 1971 when within a distance where the coastal state would have a preferential 5-day period U.S. tuna boats were fined $510,762 and sub- position as alternative to 12- or 200-mile or other fishing jected to other harassment, such as shots across the bow and limits. ramming; and when Congress had before it H. R. 7111, a bill In regard to the first concern, the National Fisherman on making it mandatory for the Secretary of State to demand page 3 of its Yearbook Issue 1972 states, "American Fisherman reimbursement within 120 days from foreign countries for can look forward to the 1973 Law of the Sea Conference with illegally levied fines. During 1971, Ecuador seized 53 American perhaps more optimism now that four men from their ranks vessels and collected fines totalling over $2 million. Some will represent their industry at Geneva. Jacob Dykstra of American vessels were buying Ecuadorian fishing permits in pRhode Island, August J. Felando of California, William Neblett preparation for the 1972 tuna season as an interim measure to of Florida, and Walter Yonker of Seattle have been chosen avoid seizure until something could be done at the Inter- as delegates to the conference . ." Each of these men is a national Law of the Sea Conference in 1973- In June 1971, nationally respected spokesman for the-fishing industry. Their Brazil began harassing U.S. shrimp boats within its 200-mile divergent backgrounds (Dykstra - bottomfish, Felando - tuna, territorial limit. Neblett - shrimp, Yonker - salmon) provide reasonably balanced views for the total industry. However, they will need to exert extraordinary statesmanship and persuasiveness if U.S. fishing National interests are to receive equal consideration at the Law of the Sea Conference along with defense, global politics, mineral The "Fourth Governor's Conservation Congress" sponsored extraction, and other interests. by Oregon's Governor Tom McCall was held in Portland from The problems of competition between domestic fishing December 13 to 15. This national discussion of marine fishery fleets and distant-water fleets promise to become more intense resources attracted participants from many nations as well from and to generate overfishing of the .most sought after stocks all sections of the United States. A summary of the Congress' with increasing frequency, e.g., Pacific ocean perch, haddock, proceedings will be available from the Oregon Division of yellowtail flounder, yellowfin sole, herring, etc. A recent direc- Continuing Education, Salem, Oregon 97310. tive of the Congress of the Communist Party of the Soviet President Nixon declared 1971 the Fisheries Centennial Union calls for a 47% increase in the production of food fish Year, marking 100 years since founding of the U.S. Fish products during