The Nation - News from Sept. 16, 1988

The House Merchant Marine and Fisheries Committee approved legislation that would extend the U.S. territorial limit to 12 nautical miles, the first change since 1793 when President Thomas Jefferson declared a three-mile protection zone along the U.S. coast. The committee also approved legislation that would require that foreign fishing vessels stow their gear when passing through the 200-mile U.S. economic zone and carry transponders so satellites could track their location.