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ment of aquaculture or gear technologies that wdll reduce waste 

 and discard, these are the kinds of things that we would like fund- 

 ed with those fishing industry grants. Similarly, the money EDA 

 is making available through local revolving loan funds will respond 

 to suggestions and plans at the local level. So, these are some of 

 the problems we are wrestling with and that is a very brief sum- 

 mary of how the money has been distributed so far. 



Thank you, Senator, for the opportunity to present that. 



Senator Kerry. That is a good summary, John, and it is a good 

 opening to where we go. It underscores the tensions that exist here. 



I would like to divide up a number of different areas; enforce- 

 ment, by-catch, financing, et cetera, to talk about here. I am going 

 to try to be the policeman in the discussion, maybe move it off at 

 one point or another. 



But I want to begin with one of the toughest issues of all and 

 get a sense of where people feel we ought to go on it. 



Captain Simonitsch, you have talked about closing Georges Bank 

 from both sides, and I have to agree with you that it's an option 

 which should be considered. I think a moratorium for a period of 

 time would be not unlike the striped bass moratorium. It may be 

 the way you are going to bring the fishery back. We've got great 

 striped bass fishing out there today. 



The issue is, you do not want to simply bring it back the way 

 it is today. If you close it for 3 years, then you reopen it and every- 

 body goes there with the same level of fishing, and, crash, effort, 

 you are right back where you started. 



So, given the statistics that I gave you earlier, which are that 

 you could reduce the fishing fleets of certain countries by 40 and 

 50 percent and still catch as many fish, and we all understand it 

 is overcapitalized, the big issue I want to talk about first here is; 

 is there anybody here who disagrees and wants to suggest that we 

 do not have to reduce the overall access? 



And if you agree and there is general agreement that you have 

 got to have limited access, then help us to understand the fairest 

 and best way of creating a limited access system. How do we do 

 that? 



Mrs. Johnson. I disagree that you absolutely have to have a lim- 

 ited access system. The point is right now we have one, we have 

 a moratorium. 



The fishing industry, at least the dragger fleet, has been decreas- 

 ing, perhaps not in the amount of effort, but in the numbers of ves- 

 sels. And one of the things that has characterized the New England 

 fisheries is their cycles. New Bedford has seen disasters before, and 

 so has Portland, ME. 



I don't have a good, clear answer, but I do not think that limited 

 access guarantees a healthy fishery. 



Senator Kerry. Captain, do you want to disagree with that, or 

 respond? 



Captain MiRARCHl. Limited access to fisheries, limited access to 

 microphones as well. 



The point I'd like to make is limited access doesn't necessarily 

 guarantee the long-term viability of the resource. 



What limited access does guarantee is that people in the fishery 

 can reap some of the rewards of their sacrifice. There needs to be 



