23 



of the Sea Conference to try to have an absolute ban on the use of 

 these nets in the worldwide fishing community. 



There are going to be some serious repercussions in Alaska if we 

 can't find some way to stop this. 



Senator Hollings. Is the law inadequate in this regard ? 



Dr. White. There is no authority for dealing w^ith it. Now, pursu- 

 ant to some international agreements, we do have gear agreements. The 

 gear agreements have never gone to this particular question. The prob- 

 lem is a serious one. As I pointed out in my testimony, we find these 

 nets washed ashore on the Aleutian Islands, and they are pretty wide- 

 spread. 



You know, I agree, we ought to try to do something and your sug- 

 gestion for looking at what these nets do to the stocks is something 

 that I will take vei-y seriously, and I would welcome tlie opportunity 

 to get back and talk to you about it. 



Senator Ste\t:ns. I think we ought to try to suggest to the world 

 community that these nets be tagged, so we can know w^hat vessels 

 they are off of, if we ever fuid them. We have to put up with the haz- 

 ards of a sea, and a vessel that is wrecked might lose equipment; but 

 when they intentionally slip them, when they are inside Alaskan 

 waters, they are burglars, and ought to be treated as such. 



I don't think we even require our own nets to be marked so that they 

 can be identified. 



Dr. AVhite. That is a correct statement. We do not. 



Senator Stevens. We are working on legislation along that line, 

 now. I see no reason to permit these implements of real long-term pol- 

 lution to exist ; of couree, ours do decompose after a couple of seasons, 

 I understand. 



Dr. White, is that how long a net would last, two seasons ? 



Dr. RoYCE. I believe the practice is to replace them after two seasons. 

 They might last substantially longer than that, but the fisherman is 

 interested in having a net with no holes at all to be as efficient as pos- 

 sible. We have remnants lasting for many years. 



Senator Stevens. One that was cut loose, though, would decom- 

 pose after a reasonable period of time, it is my undei'standing, whereas 

 these monofilament nets would not. 



Dr. Royce. I believe not, sir; because they are both made of nylon 

 as a rule. The multifilament nets are still made of nylon, and quite 

 resistant to rotting. 



Senator Stevens. Don't we still require a section of fiber of so many 

 feet in a net that is going out from an American port? 



Dr. RoYCE. I am not aware of that. 



Senator Stevens. Well, we used to, and we were assuming that that 

 was still continuing. Most of these nets are coming up to us from 

 Washington. Most of the large nets are coming in from the west coast 

 ports into Alaska waters, and we have been assuming that they still 

 have the requirement that every so many feet they w^ould have a 

 portion of the net that would decompose, so the nets would come 

 apart. 



Would you look into that for us ? 



Dr. White. I would be glad to. 



Senator Stevens. We can do that with legislation in Congress, if it 

 is not being done still. 



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