233 



Our members are operating plants in California, Hawaii, Puerto 

 Rico, American Samoa, and Maryland. I also serve as president and 

 chairman of the board of the Porpoise Rescue Foundation, and this 

 is an industry-sponsored and financially supported foundation estab- 

 lished to coordinate, manage, and implement research programs de- 

 signed to reduce porpoise mortality. 



I appear on behalf of the members of the Tuna Research Founda- 

 tion as well as Sun Harbor Industry and PanaPacifip Fisheries. 



Currently these are U.S. tuna canners not affiliated with our 

 foundation. 



I am here to address the impact of the 1977 regulations over the 

 taking of marine mammals in the course of commercial fishing. 

 These regulations will have an impact on the tuna canning industry 

 as possibly as severe as the impact on the purse seine fleet. A large 

 part of the purse seine fleet will not be able to operate to full ca- 

 pacity ; and income to the vessel and crew will decline as catch rates 

 decrease. 



As a result of the reduced landings and the imposition of over- 

 broad import restrictions, the output of the domestic canning indus- 

 try will be curtailed significantly — resulting in decreased employ- 

 ment in the tuna canning industry. 



During the past 5 years, imports of tuna have accounted for an 

 average of 58.9 percent of the raw materials supply process by U.S. 

 tuna canners, Mr. Chairman, ranging from 49.2 percent in 1975 to 

 64.8 percent in 1973. 



The year 1975 was the first in over 10 years that the domestic fleet 

 landed more tuna than the supplies of imports. 



In the future, the output of the U.S. canneries will depend on the 

 impact of these regulations on both domestic landings and imports. 

 Now, based on the National Marine Fishery Service's market reports 

 on domestic tuna landings in California for the first months of 1977, 

 our supplv is down approximatelv 50 percent. 



The agency has prepared an inflationary impact analysis of these 

 regulations on the industry. I urge that this report be made available 

 today, Mr. Chairman, and incorporate it into the record of these 

 proceedings. It is important, Mr. Leggett. that you and the com- 

 mittee, as well as all of those who are participating in these hearings 

 today, have the benefit of this analysis. 



Let me conclude 



Mr. Leggett. We will try to get that. 



Mr. Mulligan. Let me conclude by saying that the tuna industry 

 has had a history of research and improvement in methods of re- 

 duced porpoise mortality, Mr. Chairman, on a cooperative and pro- 

 gressive basis. In spite of the continuous litigation and unreasonable 

 and impractical demands upon it, the industry went forward and 

 made dramatic improvements on a regular basis. We formed the 

 Porpoise Rescue Foundation: we cooperatively developed research 

 programs with the National Marine Fisheries Service, and the Ma- 

 rine Mammal Commission ; we developed a peer review group known 

 as the Skippers' Panel : we cosponsored the Behavior Group of the 

 Elizabeth C.J.; we assisted in the training and placement of govern- 



