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quota of whitebelly spinners at approximately the 50,000-ton catch 

 of yellowfin. 



That means we are going to be denied a shot at something from 

 there up to 130,000 or so tons of fish. 



In other words 



Mr. Leggett. Of course, do not the foreigners go inshore, where 

 you are not going to go? 



Mr. Alverson. Do what? 



Mr. Leggett. Will not the foreigners go in-shore, where you are 

 not going to be going, and where the easterns predominate, and will 

 not that then leave more in the area but not close in ? 



Mr. Alverson. I cannot speak for the foreigners. 



Mr. Leggett. Well, will they not be fools not to go in there, if we 

 are not going to be going there? 



Mr. Alverson. Right now, if we are going to go for school fish, 

 yellowfin, that is one of the areas that we have got to try to make 

 it in. 



Mr. Leggett. So you would be in there? 



Mr. Alverson. Well, if they were fishing. 



Quite frankly, I think the fishermen at this point in time have two 

 choices: they can keep the vessel tied alongside the dock and lose 

 money or go fishing and lose more money. And I would like to tell 

 you that the catch of yellowfin last year at the same point in time 

 as we have 41,800, this year, Mr. Chairman, was 56,600 tons. In other 

 words, that is what it was at the end of February last year. 



Now, yellowfin are not any less abundant or available this year 

 than they were last year. However, the U.S. fleet cannot — well, it has 

 only been able to set about 4 days, someone said, on the porpoise. 



Mr. Leggett. I understand. 



Mr. Alverson. The fishermen are going by schools of porpoise 

 and they say the fish are there, but, you know, keep your hands be- 

 hind your back. We are at the 74 percent level of the production of 

 last year. That is for the international fleet, Mr. Chairman; what 

 share the United States got out of that, I do not know. 



The skipjack availability this year is down sharply. 



Mr. Leggett. Let's see, Mr. Felando indicated you had taken 

 23,000 tons. 



Mr. Alverson. He indicates that for 



Mr. Felando. That is onlv for our vessels in our membership. 

 They have about, oh, something like 63 or 64 thousand — no; 68,000 

 tons of capacity and they only have 23,000 tons of fish aboard. Now, 

 they cannot make it out there. Captain Joe Madina has his vessel 

 with a carrying capacity of 1,200 tons and they are coming home 

 with 360 tons. 



Manuel Silva brought both of his boats in, and he is president of 

 the American Tunaboat Association. The capacity there is slightly 

 over 1,000 tons, and it is coming home with 450 tons. 



Mr. Leggett. That is not setting on porpoise at all? 



Mr. Felando. They cannot make it out there under the conditions. 



Mr. Leggett. I understand. 



Mr. Felando. And to suggest now that they can make it on the 

 basis of 6,500, you produce a fisherman to me and tell that fisher- 



