Further Information Issue Definition Fish stocks migrate across jurisdictions and do not recognize international borders.
Nations approach fisheries conservation and management differently.
Development and conservation objectives of nations harvesting common fish stocks often clash, and overcapitalized fleets are overharvesting the available resource in many areas. Issues include the appropriate U.S. policies to balance marine fisheries conservation and harvest allocation, and possible measures to stabilize declining stocks and to address overcapitalization of fishing fleets and overfishing. Western Atlantic bluefin may exceed 1,000 pounds and command top price in the export market to Japan. However, some domestic and foreign harvesters believe that bluefin tuna stocks, although possibly depressed, are not stressed to the extent that they warrant additional restrictions on their harvest. In the Pacific Northwest, salmon management has been controversial for both the United States and Canada, despite a 1985 bilateral Pacific Salmon Treaty.