Oregon Revised Statutes Chapter 507 § 507.040 — Pacific Marine Fisheries Compact

Pacific Marine Fisheries Compact. A compact, in form as in this section fully set forth, shall be in effect when one or both of the States of California and Washington become parties thereto, and the consent of Congress has been granted as required by section 10, Article I, of the Constitution of the United States. ______________________________________________________________________________ The contracting states do hereby agree as follows: ARTICLE I The purposes of this compact are and shall be to promote the better utilization of fisheries, marine, shell and anadromous, which are of mutual concern, and to develop a joint program of protection and prevention of physical waste of such fisheries in all of those areas of the Pacific Ocean and adjacent waters over which the compacting states jointly or separately now have or may hereafter acquire jurisdiction. Nothing herein contained shall be construed so as to authorize the compacting states or any of them to limit the production of fish or fish products for the purpose of establishing or fixing the prices thereof or creating and perpetuating a monopoly. ARTICLE II This agreement shall become operative immediately as to those states executing it in the form that is in accordance with the laws of the executing states and the Congress has given its consent. ARTICLE III Each state joining herein shall appoint, as determined by state statutes, one or more representatives to a commission hereby constituted and designated as the Pacific States Marine Fisheries Commission, of whom one shall be the administrative or other officer of the agency of such state charged with the conservation of the fisheries resources to which this compact pertains. This commission shall be invested with the powers and duties set forth herein. The term of each commissioner of the Pacific States Marine Fisheries Commission shall be four years. A commissioner shall hold office until a successor shall be appointed and qualified but such successor’s term shall expire four years from legal date of expiration of the term of the predecessor. Vacancies occurring in the office of such commissioner from any reason or cause shall be filled for the unexpired term, or a commissioner may be removed from office, as provided by the statutes of the state concerned. Each commissioner may delegate in writing from time to time, to a deputy, the power to be present and participate, including voting as the representative or substitute, at any meeting of or hearing by or other proceeding of the commission. Voting powers under this compact shall be limited to one vote for each state regardless of the number of representatives. ARTICLE IV The duty of the said commission shall be to make inquiry and ascertain from time to time such methods, practices, circumstances and conditions as may be disclosed for bringing about the conservation and the prevention of the depletion and physical waste of the fisheries, marine, shell, and anadromous, in all of those areas of the Pacific Ocean over which the states signatory to this compact jointly or separately now have or may hereafter acquire jurisdiction. The commission shall have power to recommend the coordination of the exercise of the police powers of the several states within their respective jurisdictions and said conservation zones to promote the preservation of those fisheries and their protection against over-fishing, waste, depletion or any abuse whatsoever and to assure a continuing yield from the fisheries resources of the signatory parties hereto. To that end the commission shall draft and, after consultation with the advisory committee hereinafter authorized, recommend to the Governors and legislative branches of the various signatory states hereto legislation dealing with the conservation of the marine, shell, and anadromous fisheries in all of those areas of the Pacific Ocean over which the signatory states jointly or separately now have or may hereafter acquire jurisdiction. The commission shall, more than one month prior to any regular meeting of the legislative branch in any state signatory hereto, present to the Governor of such state its recommendations relating to enactments by the legislative branch of that state in furthering the intents and purposes of this compact. The commission shall consult with and advise the pertinent administrative agencies in the signatory states with regard to problems connected with the fisheries and recommend the adoption of such regulations as it deems advisable and which lie within the jurisdiction of such agencies. The commission shall have power to recommend to the states signatory hereto the stocking of the waters of such states with marine, shell or anadromous fish and fish eggs or joint stocking by some or all of such states and when two or more of the said states shall jointly stock waters the commission shall act as the coordinating agency for su