222 



Mr. Leooett. If he goes to 2103 



Mr Felando. If he goes to 210, I am thinking in view of the fact 

 that the U.S. fleet has come in, that he should be thinking of a day 

 around April 11. 



Mr. Lf.gof.tt. That is March -21 to April 11. 



Now .if the court determines to give the relief passed by Attorney 

 General Bell over the past few days, and allows the tuna fleet to fish 

 under existing regulations, what would you expect to happen? 



Mr. Felando. I do not expect the boats to leave port. 



The only thing I can refer you to is the decision of the administra- 

 tive la* judge, and the importance, economic importance, of the 

 right to fish on mixed schools, and the difficulty of identification. 



We can talk about percentages all you want. But there are aver- 

 ages. 



There is a lot of misinformation that I think we can develop here 

 in time through charts. I think, through Mr. Alverson, about the 

 presence of eastern spinners. 



These charts will indicate that they are not only on the inside, but 

 they are on the outside, and more information is developing about 

 their distribution on the outside. 



I think there are some figures for 1976. We look upon 1977 as a 

 year more closely related to the year 1972 when there was a very low 

 skipjack catch, following very high skipjack year. 



We think this year is following out that way. 



If you look at the statistics with respect to porpoise sets during 

 that year, you will find that 147,000 tons of yellowfin tuna were taken 

 in association with porpoise that year, one of the higher years on 

 record. 



Necessarily, we think we are faced with the year where therefore 

 the percentage of mixed schools will be higher and reliance, there- 

 fore, on mixed schools will be higher. 



The fact is that this fleet cannot live without the administrative 

 law judge recommendations of 6,500 quota for spinners and at least 

 17,000 white belly spinners; that was also the proposal of the admini- 

 strative law judge. 



I would like at this time on this point, the importance of it, to 

 make a comment. 



I would like with all due respect to counsel that were involved in 

 the administrative law judge hearing, that fishermen were available 

 in San Diego. They did te=tify extensively on this point. 



If you read the administrative law judge decision, he spends a 

 great deal of time in this area. 



He recognized the economic, importance of setting on mixed schools 

 and with reference to spinners, eastern and white belly. 



I would like to handle this question in two wavs: 



One, so at least you would know what we are talking about, ocean- 

 wise, of the distribution of eastern spinners, and that can be handled 

 by Dr. Alverson in a rather easy way. 



We have some charts here that I think will provide you some 

 information visually on what we are talking about. 



I would like Captain Joe Medina to talk briefly about the im- 

 portance of mixed school fishing to the fleet of the attitude of the 



