107 



tality is certainly going on. But how it stands in ratio to natural 

 mortality, I really could not say. 



Mr. Oberstar. What about the — excuse me; go ahead. 



Mr. Alverson. I think the panel of experts that met last July. 

 August, and put out a report in September indicated that the natural 

 mortality component of the total mortality for the offshore spotter 

 and the eastern spinner, and I believe the whitebelly spinner is con- 

 siderably larger than the fishing mortality. Those numbers can be 

 derived from that report. 



Ms. Pryor. To be simplistic, if you have an animal, as you do 

 here, that probably lives 25 years, that is its life span, then every 

 5 percent of those animals would die from old age. This is not ap- 

 proaching that natural level; no, not at all. 



Mr. Oberstar. Is it reasonable to assume that with the changeover 

 to new techniques developed by the C.J., and the additional interest- 

 ing suggestion that you offered, some further inducement should be 

 found to help these remaining animals out of the nets. 



Ms. Pryor. This is a minor — there are many. I am sure, small im- 

 provements that could be made of this nature. Yes? Excuse me? 



Mr. Oberstar. If we can continue reducing those mortality levels, 

 you think there is room for substantial improvement? 



Ms. Pryor. Oh, absolutely. I feel very confident and enthusiastic 

 about the overall ultimate reduction to very, very minor practical 



levels. 



Mr. Oberstar. The film that we saw last year showed fishermen 

 actually in the water helping free the porpoises. 



Were they doing that during your experiment? 



Ms. Pryor. Well, the super apron and proper handling of the por- 

 poises, not pressing them too fast, just moving them gently, results 

 in releases in which that is not necessary. They are not entangled 

 because they did not get flushed into the nets, and they are working 

 and everything is running smooth except in very rare accidental 

 instances as you saw in this movie, one animal with a tooth stuck 

 in the net. You might have to go down and unhinge him. But I do 

 not see it and I envision normal sets by all the fleets, generally 

 operating at a point where this kind of backbreaking profit 



Mr. Oberstar. It was interesting to observe that there were certain 

 individual animals that had experience previously, they seem to be 

 able to find their way out. 



Did others follow them ? Did they set an example ? 



Ms. Pryor. No ; the schools, groups of porpoises moved like herds 

 of cattle as a unit. There are subgroups in there, mothers and babies 

 and little bunches of teenage babies but leadership is not exactly what 



you see. 



Mr. Oberstar. The serious ones would move first and would the 

 whole school be influenced to turn with them? 



Ms. Pryor. You cannot tell that, This school moves as a school: 

 and they would all go over to the backdown area. Who made the de- 

 cision? I could not possibly tell you. _• ' 



Mr. Oberstar. I have observed spear fishing in the Caribbean 

 tropical waters and observed fish turning like an Army marching 

 unit. Someone says, right flank, and a whole group of submarines 

 turn. It was all very interesting. 



94-S84 — 77 8 



