221 



They are coming back with about 35 percent of their capacity 

 filled with fish. 



The vessels that left before January 15 have about 38 percent of 

 capacity filled with tuna. 



Those that left after January 15 have about 25 percent capacity 

 filled with tuna. 



We have 10 departures in February, about a capacity of 7,730 tons. 

 That group of 10 vessels have 145 tons of fish aboard. 



We had three vessels that departed in October, 1976, and about 59 

 percent of their capacity is filled. 



We have three vessels that left in December. They have about 51 

 percent of their capacity filled. 



The fleet is coming in because they cannot make it, they cannot fish 

 under the conditions that have been established by the courts, by the 

 courts or anyone else since January 1. 



They went out and tried. They cannot do it. 



Mr. Leggett. Do you have any information on the foreign take 

 during the same period? 



Mr. Felando. No ; except that we know that based on our intelli- 

 gence, that vessels of the same type are coming home loaded, in other 

 words, 1.200 tonners, we know of three vessels, Panamanian flag 

 vessels, that were built in 1973, 1974, coming home loaded. 



We know a vessel that was built in Spain about 1,700 ton capacity, 

 within a relatively short period „ c time, going out to sea, picked up 

 900 tons, going into port only because of mechanical malfunctions. 



We know that at the present time at least the total catch of Febru- 

 ary 28, there is 41,767 tons as reported catch of yellowfin up through 

 February 28. 



We are very much concerned about the fact that if the director of 

 investigations for the Inter-American Tropical Tuna Commission 

 makes a determination here that instead of using the available 210,- 

 000 tons, if he decides to use the 175,000 tons, maybe it may be for 

 the reason that he knows that the U.S. fleet is concentrating on the 

 smaller yellowfin and, in short, that he must accept the fact that 

 during the closed season, roughly June through December, that he 

 will have to compute in his computer about 45,000 to 50,000 tons, and 

 then he knows that since we are in a season primarily involved with 

 yellowfin, that the composition of the catch of the vessels by the en- 

 tire international fleet, when they depart on their final open trip, 

 after the closure date, will probably have a composition of catch 

 80 percent yellowfin and 20 percent other nonregulated tuna. 



Therefore, we are looking at the po?sibility of 50 plus 80,000, and 

 that is a very conservative figure, of 130,000, and now we are looking 

 at a figure of 40,00 as of February 28, if he decides to go on 175,000 

 tons, rather than 210,000, the U.S. fleet will at the very most during 

 the year 1977 — well might have one full trip. 



Most boats need at least two trips, at least two trips, and a 1,000 

 tonner or 1,200 tonner break even point is around 3,000 tons. 



Mr. Leggett. If you have a 175,000 ton quota, when would you 

 estimate the closure date would be? 



Mr. Felando. I would estimate that he would have to be thinking 

 around March 21. 



