Canada Fish Treaty Ratification Sought

President Reagan asked the Senate on Tuesday to ratify a treaty with Canada providing for cooperation in management of salmon fisheries on the West Coast.

The treaty would establish a bilaterial commission to manage “intercepting” fisheries, in which fishermen of one country catch salmon that spawn in the waters of the other country.

The commission’s jurisdiction would include management of Fraser River sockeye and pink salmon, now governed by an agreement that has been in effect since 1937. This agreement would be superseded.

“This treaty provides a framework that will enable us to conserve this precious resource,” Reagan said.