98 



Statement of Kaben Pbtob 



My name is Karen Pryor. I presently live in New York City. I am a biolo- 

 gist and a writer and have been serving as a consultant to the Porpoise Res- 

 cue Foundation since September of 1976. My pertinent field of expertise is 

 porpoise behavior, and especially the behavior of spinner and spotted por- 

 poises, having worked extensively with thesee species as a trainer and a 

 researcher for eight years in Hawaii. I've published a book, "Lads Before the 

 Wind," (Harper and Row 1975) and numerous scientific papers about these 

 and other kinds of porpoises. 



In October of 1976, at the oversight hearings being held here then, Dr. 

 Kenneth Norris of the University of California at Santa Cruz asked me if I 

 would join the behavioral research expedition then being planned by the 

 Porpoise Rescue Foundation. Dr. Norris and I have worked together exten- 

 sively in the past on porpoise research problems. I joined the expedition as a 

 member of the scientific investigative team under a temporary staff appoint- 

 ment to the University of California at Santa Cruz. 



I joined Research Vessel David Starr Jordan at Manzanillo, Mexico on 

 November 5th when the ship put in to refuel, partway through the cruise. 

 We went to sea and met the Elizabeth C.J. and I was able to observe the 

 fishing techniques and to dive in the net and observe porpoise behavior. You 

 have heard the very excellent results of this cruise. In December and January 

 I have been speaking to scientific and environmental groups and making 

 press and media appearances to share my experiences and I find people uni- 

 versally surprised and excited to learn that what seemed to be a hopeless 

 problem is instead a very hopeful situation indeed. In 1975 the fleet was 

 losing an average of 130 porpoises per 100 tons of tuna. By the fall of 1976 

 this average was down to 90 porpoises per 100 tons of tuna. The Elizabeth 

 C.J. got it down to less than two porpoises per hundred tons. On this cruise 

 she caught nearly 1000 tons of tuna and lost 16 animals and about a dozen 

 of these may have been due to the activity of scientists in the nets. I may say 

 I have seen this progress coming. In 1975 the fleet was achieving zero sets 

 (sets of the net in which not one porpoise was lost) about 15 percent of the 

 time. Then last 19 vessels went to sea to test new net modifications, the major 

 feature of which was the so-called "Bold Contender" system, which makes an 

 apron or spillway to guide the porpoises out, and these boats had about 40 

 percent zero sets. 



The Elizabeth C.J. was using an even further improved version called the 

 super-apron, and was achieving almost all zero sets during the cruise. I had, 

 as I say, foreseen this level of improvement but I had not idea it would be 

 possible for any ship so soon; in fact I think many of the scientists were 

 surprised. 



Now this success was not due entirely or even mostly to the net modifica- 

 tions. The Elizabeth C.J. is a magnificently equipped ship and her captain and 

 crew are supremely skilled and efficient. I have never seen such a complicated 

 operation conducted at sea, and I have never seen any operation conducted at 

 sea with such perfection. The chase and the setting of the net are difficult 

 procedures and they were carried out superbly; in fact it is quite a thrilling 

 sight. The next is not easy to handle ; nets in my experience are wilful, tricky 

 creatures, and a great deal depended on the C.J. captain's skill in using wind, 

 waves and currents to help keep the net distended, on using speedboats to 

 prevent folds and buckling in the net, and on aligning and straightening out 

 the backdown area and the super-apron properly. It is also important to have 

 the forces on the net so well balanced that the cork line can be raised or 

 sunk at will, to prevent losses of fish should the tuna stray into the backdown 

 area. The C.J. lost only about 1.7 percent of her tuna catch during backdowns 

 on this trip. 



Furthermore the combination of pairs of eyes we had on this trip produced 

 behavioral information which may have been known, previously, by this per- 

 son and that, but which had not been put together and made understandable 

 and useful. For example, after backdown is completed and all the porpoises 

 have been seen to leave the net, some animals are sometimes to be found 

 lying on the net in the backdown area. These animals have often been pre- 

 sumed to be drowned. Dr. Norris and James Coe, the net technician, by 

 getting into the water with face plates, found that these animals were alive 



