ABSTRACT
The common need effectively to manage the rich yet vulnerable fish stocks of the Barents Sea, particularly joint stocks of cod, came to be felt more acutely in the 1970s in both Norway and the USSR. The establishment and regular renewal of the Grey Zone arrangement, in addition to meeting a shared Soviet concern to enhance fisheries management works in favour of the Soviet position on shelf delimitation. Soviet offshore energy activities accelerated in the mid-late 1970s in a number of areas. The Soviets have acquired most of their relatively limited experience in exploration and production in the Caspian Sea where three jack-ups and one semi-sub were at work by 1980. The Soviets have yet to express much concern about the ecological implications of energy exploitation in the Barents. The pace of Soviet offshore exploration in the Barents and Kara Seas will mainly be determined by investment priority decisions in the 12th Five-year Plan.
