42 



Ms. Erickson. I'm certainly not against a reduction in the fish- 

 ing effort. But when we have a reduction in the fishing effort, but 

 we've got to bring the price up at the dock. Even if we were allowed 

 to fish more, if we had plenty of fish out there, low prices at the 

 dock because of the problem with imports, mixing of imports, im- 

 proper labelling, that is not caught in the marketplace and before 

 that. This is influencing the price allocation, and price gives fisher- 

 man his living. Allocation and price, they have to be equal. 



Senator Kerry. Let me say to you you have hit on, that last com- 

 ment hits on one of the key problems here which I addressed ear- 

 lier, which is the international effort. 



If you have open markets, and the international effort is exces- 

 sive as it is, then you have much more supply than there is de- 

 mand, and that drives the price down obviously. Because so many 

 other countries are engaged now in overfishing, we do have lower 

 price, which only goes to underscore the solution to this is not just 

 the United States. There must be restraint in these other coun- 

 tries, and that's why we need to push much harder to get these 

 other countries pulled back and then you will see the price go up 

 as there is less available. 



Ms. Erickson. Not necessarily. There are countries in Norway, 

 they haven't had their herring there for 35 years. It's back in vol- 

 ume. They're doing very well. 



Fish are cyclical We know it's not there, but we haven't found 

 out why. It's not that simple as lower price, more price. There's 

 more going on up there. 



I would back up Mrs. Johnson not only for her attitude, but there 

 are fishing people in New England and then there are people in 

 fishing. Fishing people in my opinion would mirror Mrs. Johnson's 

 opinion, because that is the way they're going to fish for the future. 



Senator Kerry. I do not disagree with that. The problem is there 

 are all kinds of pressures in the system beyond what you call fish- 

 ing people, and that is a problem today. I agree with you. I think 

 most small fishermen have a good ethic about it and would like to 

 see the resource conserved. 



As we all know, it is a marketplace, and the marketplace drives 

 the fisheiT, because you have a lot of commercial interests that are 

 pushing the market. Anyway, let me get the captain. 



Ms. Erickson. Not people in Washington. Fishermen and people 

 first. 



Senator Kerry, Bobby, come up here and share your thought 

 with us. I know you are concerned, obviously. We had a chance to 

 talk a bit earlier. 



Captain Bruno. Thank you for being here, Senator Kerry, the 

 committee also. 



Senator Kerry. Just say your name for the record. 



Captain Bruno. My name is Bobby Bruno. I'm owner of the fish- 

 ing vessel Alpha-Omega II. 



Your question was pertaining to law enforcement. I was not 

 going to comment pertaining to the vessel. 



Senator Kerry. That is all right. We will go back to it. 



Captain Bruno. We have since the onset of 1986, 1987, in those 

 years with fisheries management council, "we" meaning the fishing 

 industry has put forth to the council various suggestions on con- 



