MANAGEMENT OF FISHERY RESOURCES
39
technical recommendations in preparation for the 1958 Conference on
the Law of the Sea (United Nations, 1956). The 1955 Technical
Conference had come to the conclusion that the system of international
fishery regulation based on the geographical and biological distribution
of marine populations seemed, in general, to be the most suitable way
of handling these problems. This system was based upon conventions
signed by the nations concerned.
B. Xpecialized Jishery bodies
Most of the existing international fishery bodies were established by
conventions conchded after the Second World War. Five of them were
set up under the auspices of F.A.O. pursuant to the relevant provisions
of its Constitution.
Certain fishery bodies were established to cover a particular sea or
specified lake or river systems (e.g. the Joint Commission for Black Sea
Fisheries or the Great Lakes Fishery Commission). Others were set up
to serve a region of the high seas which is precisely delineated by
longitude and latitude (e.g. the International Commission for the
Northwest Atlantic Fisheries and the North-East Atlantic Fisheries
Commission). The area of competence of many fishery bodies, however,
is defined only in general terms (e.g. the Eastern Pacific Ocean for the
Inter-American Tropical Tuna Commission or the Indo-Pacific area for
the Indo-Pacific Fisheries Council).
The absence of well-defined geographical limits may sometimes be
advantageous in that it allows of flexibility in taking account of surveys
and investigations into the biology of the species concerned. It should,
however, be noted that each time member countries are requested to
provide data to co-ordinate or conduct research, or each time a commission needs t o formulate conservation measures, a specific area has
to be defined. What seems important is that the area of competence
should be large enough to encompass the entire range of the stocks
constituting the resource with which the commission is concerned. It
may be mentioned in this connexion that most conventions setting up
international fishery bodies include in their area of competence the
territorial sea of member countries.
The great majority of international fishery bodies were set up to
deal with sea fisheries. Actually, a glance a t a map delineating, by
oceans and seas, their areas of competence, would show that practically
all the marine waters of the planet are covered and even, in certain
regions, several times over. This should not, however, lead to the
conclusion that all the living resources of the sea are the object of
scientific investigation and management measures. I n fact, the
39
technical recommendations in preparation for the 1958 Conference on
the Law of the Sea (United Nations, 1956). The 1955 Technical
Conference had come to the conclusion that the system of international
fishery regulation based on the geographical and biological distribution
of marine populations seemed, in general, to be the most suitable way
of handling these problems. This system was based upon conventions
signed by the nations concerned.
B. Xpecialized Jishery bodies
Most of the existing international fishery bodies were established by
conventions conchded after the Second World War. Five of them were
set up under the auspices of F.A.O. pursuant to the relevant provisions
of its Constitution.
Certain fishery bodies were established to cover a particular sea or
specified lake or river systems (e.g. the Joint Commission for Black Sea
Fisheries or the Great Lakes Fishery Commission). Others were set up
to serve a region of the high seas which is precisely delineated by
longitude and latitude (e.g. the International Commission for the
Northwest Atlantic Fisheries and the North-East Atlantic Fisheries
Commission). The area of competence of many fishery bodies, however,
is defined only in general terms (e.g. the Eastern Pacific Ocean for the
Inter-American Tropical Tuna Commission or the Indo-Pacific area for
the Indo-Pacific Fisheries Council).
The absence of well-defined geographical limits may sometimes be
advantageous in that it allows of flexibility in taking account of surveys
and investigations into the biology of the species concerned. It should,
however, be noted that each time member countries are requested to
provide data to co-ordinate or conduct research, or each time a commission needs t o formulate conservation measures, a specific area has
to be defined. What seems important is that the area of competence
should be large enough to encompass the entire range of the stocks
constituting the resource with which the commission is concerned. It
may be mentioned in this connexion that most conventions setting up
international fishery bodies include in their area of competence the
territorial sea of member countries.
The great majority of international fishery bodies were set up to
deal with sea fisheries. Actually, a glance a t a map delineating, by
oceans and seas, their areas of competence, would show that practically
all the marine waters of the planet are covered and even, in certain
regions, several times over. This should not, however, lead to the
conclusion that all the living resources of the sea are the object of
scientific investigation and management measures. I n fact, the