The Secretary of Commerce (hereafter referred to in sections 758e to 758e-5 of this title as the “Secretary”) is authorized to carry out, directly or by contract, with the Pacific Fisheries Development Foundation or other agency or organization, a program for the development of the tuna and other latent fisheries resources of the Central, Western, and South Pacific Ocean. The program shall include, but not be limited to, exploration for, and stock assessment of, tuna and other fish; improvement of harvesting techniques; gear development; biological resource monitoring; and an economic evaluation of the potential for tuna and other fisheries in such area.