22 



Dr. HiRSCH. Yes, so far as the concentration of oil in marine organ- 

 isms. I tliink it is important that that get done now so we have a record 

 of what conditions are, before any operation. 



Senator Stevens. Those are the studies to be done in the next 2 

 years ? 



Dr. HiRSCH. Yes. 



Senator Stevens. Thank you very much, gentlemen. 



Dr. White, I am very disturbed about the recent incident, again, 

 where foreign fishing fleets have slipped their nets in the waters off 

 Alaska, 14 nets, 1 understand, slipped off those two Japanese fishing 

 vessels, and I have pieces of them, now, that have been brought in, 

 and they are the monofilament nets. 



Wliat is the technical word for it, they don't decompose ? And they 

 are nothing but marauding killers in the oceans, as I understand it. 



Now, have your people ever done any tests concerning the effect of 

 ]iets such as these, on the fishing stocks of the North Pacific ? 



Dr. White. I don't think so, but perhaps, there is something going 

 on. Perhaps Dr. Rovce might know. 



Bill, are they going to do any tests on the monofilament nets? 



Dr. RoYCE. Senator, I am not aware of any current studies, but we 

 have made studies over the past years comparing the catching ability 

 of monofilament nylon nets, and the conventional nylon, or linen nets 

 which had been in general use in Alaska, The monofilament nets are 

 unquestionably much more efficient for catching salmon, and as you 

 say, they do not deteriorate for a very long time if they are lost in the 

 water. 



Senator Ste^^ns. I think we have to do something about making 

 some recommendations when w^e are in Geneva about this, because the 

 people I talk to in the fishing industry — if they are correct^ — these nets, 

 if they slip off foreign vessels, just continue to fish in Alaska waters, 

 and they will catch a school of fish, they are not discriminating in 

 terms of closures and protections, or anything. 



They just wander forever, and as soon as the fish that are caught 

 decay, they will float on, as we understand it. Unless there is some wa}' 

 we cari get the international community to ban these nets, I think we 

 are going to have to take some rather strong action to ban them in any 

 waters adjacent to our fishing waters. 



Wo don't allow our fishermen to leave American shores with such 

 nets onboard, and yet we find in this instance that if it had not been 

 for the one plane, and I don't know whether you heard about this 

 Senator, if it had not been for the one plane that spotted them, those 

 14 nets would have been there forever, 



I can't understand how we can have a situation like that developing 

 when we are talking about the concepts of pollution. Here it is not 

 only pollution, but it is a lethal form of pollution to all the marine 

 life, seals, whales, or anything else that might get caught into those, 

 as T understand it. 



They would di(\ We seem to be just crying out in the wilderness. 

 Everyone is telling us what to do in Alaska, and we point out the woi-st 

 possible form of pollution is something that will kill fish and here the 

 foreign fishermen are bringing them in. 



The CG finds them : but T would urge you to do something about 

 demonstrating the letlial effects of these nets and assist us in the Law 



