45 



we need to go to clinical trials, and there just is not any raw mate- 

 rial. 



So, while on the one hand the fishing industry is strangulating 

 and is dying — we have never made money in the menhaden indus- 

 try. We had to close a plant in Mississippi, Moss Point, MS. We 

 have never had more menhaden. The menhaden, the biomass of 

 menhaden is constantly increasing, and yet we cannot tap into that 

 because we need the technology to make this possible. 



There is no mechanism. We cannot go to the Federal Government 

 like the companies can in Japan. In Japan, the federal government 

 and the industries and the universities, it is like a family. 



Senator Kerry. How did you get hold of what you have there? 



Mr. Silva. You would not believe it if I told you. This was made 

 in Japan. It was a gift. We have done 



Senator Kerry. How do they extract it? 



Mr. Silva. This is extracted by supercritical extraction, and I ac- 

 tually have work underway right now in Scotland. It is cheaper 

 and easier to do — I am sorry, out it is cheaper and easier to do 

 than in the United States because it is partially subsidized over 

 there. You get some help. I mean, I get more help out of the Scot- 

 tish Government than I am getting out of my own Government. 



Senator Kerry. What do you need, when you say help? Give me 

 a structure and give me an amount. 



Mr. Silva. I think there ought to be a focus, an office of marine 

 biotechnology somewhere in which industry and academic commu- 

 nities and the Government could work together. 



Senator Kerry. Do we not have that? 



Mr. Silva. No, sir, not right now. 



Senator Kerry. I mean, we have it at Woods Hole. 



Mr. Silva. To give you an example, I live on the Cape. I mean, 

 I am only a few minutes from Woods Hole. They are strapped. I 

 mean, if you put together their resources it is just not enough to 

 do the job, sir. That is the bottom line. 



I started my testimony with thanks to NOAA for support of the 

 Charleston Laboratory to make this product, but it is too little. 

 They have basically a laboratory-scale process. It is not enough to 

 get us into clinical trials, and we are going to lose this industry in 

 the United States. 



I mean, the menhaden — they are here. It was the first gift that 

 the Native Americans ever gave to the pilgrims. I mean, if they 

 had not given that gift, there would not be pilgrims on the shore. 

 They would have starved to death and they would have gone away. 

 That is basically it. 



b So, back to these very, very same basic issues. You know, the 

 first oceanographers and marine biologists, people would like to for- 

 get, they were whalers. They did it for commercial purpose. I mean, 

 they opened up a lot of new research — their bones are scattered 

 across the globe — but they opened up the world of marine biology 

 as it is known today. They opened up the world of oceanography 

 as it is known today. 



I find it very, very difficult, when I want to go out and find fish, 

 we are spending $1 million a year now to fly planes and look 

 around. We have boats. We know what kind of marine biological 

 information can be gathered from boats. 



