Message to the Senate Transmitting the Convention on Conduct of Fishing Operations in the North Atlantic.

To the Senate of the United States:

With a view to receiving the advice and consent of the Senate to ratification, I transmit herewith a certified copy of the Convention on Conduct of Fishing Operations in the North Atlantic, done at London, June 1, 1967. The Convention has been signed on behalf of seventeen governments, including the United States of America, which represent the great majority of vessels engaged in the fisheries in the area.

For the information of the Senate, I also transmit the report by the Secretary of State with respect to the Convention.

The Convention establishes a generally uniform system of identification, marking, light signals, conduct, and enforcement for fishing vessels and support vessels in a large part of the North Atlantic. The Convention, is sufficiently flexible that it might be extended to other areas of the Atlantic if developments in the fishery pattern make this desirable.

Many European fishing vessels have followed a code of conduct laid down in the 1882 Convention for Regulating the Police of the North Sea Fisheries, even though many of the European governments did not actually become party to the Convention. This code was gradually extended throughout the Northeast Atlantic as congestion on the fishing grounds gradually spread beyond the North Sea. Eventually, the code extended to the Northwest Atlantic.

Since foreign fishermen rarely operated close to our Atlantic coast, such a code was of little direct concern to our fishermen. This situation has changed dramatically during the past few years. Complaints of harassment or impaired operating freedom due to congestion on the fishing grounds have become frequent. As a result, our fishermen have called for a modern code of conduct to assist them. Their needs in this respect were made known to our negotiators.

I believe that the requirements of American fishermen in dealing with problems caused by the heavy concentration of vessels on the fishing grounds in the Convention area are substantially met by the terms of the Convention. The Convention will also assist us in our continuing effort to promote harmony in the international fisheries through agreements with other governments.

Proposed legislation to carry out the provisions of the Convention will be submitted.

I recommend that the Senate give early and favorable consideration to the Convention.

RICHARD NIXON

The White House

April 16, 1969