23 



their point of view. Did your people have the same opportunity to 

 do that kind of lobbying? 



Mr. Warrens. To answer your question, yes; we had the opportu- 

 nity but felt obviously no need to lobby because the decision was 

 made. It was passed up to National Marine Fishery Service. It did 

 come back with some modifications which reflected leaning toward 

 the Factory Trawler interest and not providing that we have this 

 30,000 metric ton reserve at the end of the season and rather tilted 

 it slightly more toward the Factory Trawl industry. 



Chairman Wyden. Let's just pick up specifically on the meeting 

 Mr. Blum talked about. After the Commerce Department gave an- 

 other opportunity to the factory fleet folks and hear them out, did 

 Commerce get back on the horn to your people and say, give us 

 your response to them? 



Mr. Warrens. No; they opened the season the day they made the 

 decision. 



Chairman Wyden. So, the last word was from the Factory Fleet? 

 After we had a scientific process based on technical expertise, the 

 last word went to the trawlers, and you all weren't even given an 

 opportunity to respond to the issues that were discussed back in 

 Washington? 



Mr. Warrens. That's an absolutely accurate statement. 



Mr. Blum. Mr. Chairman, might I comment on that? 



Chairman Wyden. Sure. 



Mr. Blum. Or would that be inappropriate? 



Chairman Wyden. No; you're very welcome. 



Mr. Blum. I think that is a very large assumption, Mr. Chair- 

 man, on both your part and Frank's. 



Chairman Wyden. Pardon me, Mr. Blum. Mr. Warrens is under 

 oath, which is why we swear witnesses, and he was asked to re- 

 spond as to whether he got an opportunity after the contacts your 

 people had with the Commerce Department to respond, and he said 

 he did not. 



Mr. Blum. I'm sorry, sir. The comment I was referring to was 

 the last word. I don't know who had the last word as far as getting 

 together and talking with the Commerce Department. I truly don't, 

 and I don't know that anyone knows who had the last word. 



Chairman Wyden. Well, I guess if somebody got a call in some- 

 how that we don't know about, we can continue to follow it up, but 

 as I understood Mr. Warrens to say, the decision came down that 

 day. 



Mr. Blum. Yes. 



Chairman Wyden. So, it would be hard to see how the point of 

 view of the council, which made a judgment on a 9 to 2 decision 

 could be in a position to compete with the lobbying that went on in 

 Washington, DC, and this discussion that Mr. Blum's people had 

 with the Commerce Department, and whether you all got a chance 

 to respond to it. You know of no opportunity that you all were af- 

 forded to try to respond to these last minute arguments from Mr. 

 Blum's people? 



Mr. Warrens. Congressman Wyden, I can only respond to your 

 last comment in that we were not provided an opportunity. Howev- 

 er, if Commerce had been entertaining for any length of time over- 

 turning the council's November decision, it would have been a per- 



