42 



On 100,000 metric tons that's a difference of 3,000 metric tons of 

 finished product. That 3,000 metric tons are 6,618,000 finished 

 pounds as additional market product that could have been handled 

 had the product been taken in a more controlled fishery over time. 



In addition, 20 percent additional fish of the resource had to be 

 taken because the fish at this time of the year postspawn and are 

 about 20 percent lighter. So, you have to take more fish to get the 

 same pounds. 



All those things have a tremendous economic impact. I don't 

 know if there is an accurate way to consider them, but it certainly 

 leans toward shoreside as a processing entity that has a greater 

 economic impact. 



That's the end of my statement. 



[Mr. Libby's statement, with attachments, may be found in the 

 appendix.] 



Chairman Wyden. Thank you. Well said. 



Mr. Bohannon. 



TESTIMONY OF FRANK B. BOHANNON, FISHERMAN 



Mr. Bohannon. Mr. Chairman and Congressman Kopetski, my 

 name is Frank Bohannon. I have been a fisherman for over 30 

 years. I'm presently the owner of a traditional catcher vessel on 

 this coast called the Neahkahnie. 



I have fished Pacific whiting since 1979. I grew up in Tillamook, 

 and I live in central Oregon. Not only do I have a lot of time and 

 money invested in this fishery, but the lives of my children. 



I have a son, Ethan, who is a captain on a vessel. I have a son, 

 Eric, a crewman on another vessel. My daughter works on the 

 mother ship. Excellence. My wife has operated the office for the 

 last 15 years. She fished for me 5 of that. That's not much different 

 than several of the people I know in this crowd here. It's a family 

 business. It's just like any other in Oregon, basically. 



I am board member of the American Independent Fisherman, 

 and also a board member of the American High Seas. Because nei- 

 ther one of them were invited here today specifically, I am repre- 

 senting them. 



Specially, those members with traditional catcher vessels have 

 the longest history in the whiting fishery, and deliver primarily to 

 the at-sea processors. 



Let me thank the committee for their interest in the industry 

 and for affording us the opportunity to present our views. 



Many people have portrayed this issue as a contest between fac- 

 tory trawlers and shore-based processors as one sector of the fish- 

 ery that has been largely ignored — the traditional catcher vessel in 

 general — and specifically those that deliver at-sea to mother ships. 



We who have the longest participation in the fishery have seen 

 our catch reduced from a high of 96 percent in 1989 down to 10 

 percent in 1993. When the mothership and shore-based component 

 broke out into their own categories, we were reduced from 37 per- 

 cent down to 10 percent. 



That's an enormous reduction in just 3 to 5 years. One of the 

 main reasons for this is that we don't have an allocation of our 



