155 



Dr. Cain. Under this International Treaty Organization, regu- 

 lations are negotiated and all nations are supposed to employ the same 

 mesh size in their nets. 



Mr. Keith. Is there, to the best of your knowledge, any problem 

 with reference to trash fish catch containing young edible species that 

 would later on be marketable at a higher price and for a better 

 purpose ? 



Dr. Cain. For example, the practice is to allow, under the agree- 

 ment, an incidental taking of perhaps 10 percent of undersized or other 

 kinds of fish, recognizing the inability mider certain circumstances to 

 fish in a highly selective manner. 



Mr. KEina. Are you satisfied that our legislation is adequate to 

 protect against the taking of trash fish that would later on serve 

 a more useful purpose ? 



Dr. Cain. I think generally our own legislation is pretty good. 

 There is a difficulty m negotiating, internationally, practices that 

 perhaps are as restrictive as our own practices when we are dealing 

 with the high-seas problem. 



Mr. Keith. This morning the Wall Street Journal, I believe it was, 

 had a feature story on what is happening to the lobster, an increase in 

 demand and a lessening in supply. A couple of weeks ago some illegal 

 Canadian lobsters were intercepted, 4,000 of them, more or less. These 

 were egg-bearing lobsters. Do you know what took place in that case ? 



Dr. Cain. No, I do not know the case. 



Mr. Keith. It is a landmark case. I believe the fines could have 

 resulted in as much as $400,000 in that particular case. 



I think it would be helpful if you could furnish for the record what 

 action the Bureau is taking to make certain we have adequate legisla- 

 tion to protect against such a practice and what action is necessary to 

 assure a more balanced supply of lobster in view of the practices that 

 are depleting that supply at the moment. 



(The following material was supplied for inclusion at this point in 

 the record:) 



Lobster Exploitation 



Recent tagging experiments by Bureau of Commercial Fisheries employees 

 at the Boothbay Harbor, Maine, Biological Laboratory indicate that present 

 exploitation rate of lobsters is extremely high. This suggests that increase in 

 supply from nature in any large amounts is unlikely. Investigations are now 

 underway to determine the feasibility of augmenting natural production through 

 husbandry such as construction of artificial reefs and other environmental and 

 culture techniques. 



The recent shipment of 4,000 egg-bearing lobsters from Canada to Massachu- 

 setts was in violation of Canadian and Massachusetts laws. Such an act is not 

 likely to be repeated very often, especially if a heavy fine is imposed. Our scien- 

 tists are of the opinion that since these lobsters came from Nova Scotia waters 

 there is little likelihood that they are of the same stock which produces Maine 

 or Massachusetts lobsters. We see no threat to our New England lobster resource ; 

 consequently we see no need for legislation. 



However, the importation from Canada of egg-bearing lobsters will be unlavsrful 

 under U.S. Federal law under the terms of an amendment being offered to the 

 Lacey Act by a bill now under consideration in the Congress (H.R. 6138). The 

 prohibition against importation that would be contained in the Lacey Act would 

 apply only where the taking of egg-bearing lobsters was unlawful at the place 

 of taking. 



]\Ir. Keith. Are you familiar with H.R. 25 ? 



Dr. Cain. Yes, sir. 



Mr. Keith. You supported this legislation, if I recall correctly. 



