294 



Now, we fool that that should ho specific in the legislation if the 

 Congress so wishes that to he the case. 



Mr. McCloskey. You have submitted a bill which T believe Sen- 

 ator Hayakawa has introduced in the Senate. S. 373. and there you 

 suggest no chance in language which would permit assessing the 

 charge against the industry, do you? 



Mr. Blatt. Mr. McCloskey, T do not have the bill before me. But 

 T think that there is language m that bill that does address this mat- 

 ter specifically, sir. 



Mr. McCloskey. Excuse me, Mr. Chairman. T do not want to brine; 

 up the whole tuna-porpoise question 



Mr. Legoett. I appreciate that. 



Mr. McCloskey. However, as I suggested to the committee, if we 

 can pass emergency legislation to assist the Russians and the Ko- 

 reans to continue fishing, we can do so for our tuna industry. Tf we 

 were to enact such legislation, would you want to amend the OSP 

 because spinners are 10 percent below OSP? 



Mr. (tettringer. Yes. 



Mr. McCloskey. Would you want to permit the observer cost to be 

 levied against the industry or only have the option to do so? 



Mr. Blatt. I believe. Mr. McCloskey. you are addressing the pro- 

 visions of the so-called Hayakawa bill. I do not bolieev that the ad- 

 ministration has proposed any such legislation at this time. 



Mr. McCloskey. The administration might not have, but the 

 Department of Commerce has requested we sponsor legislation pre- 

 pared by your office. That perhaps may not be the administration 

 bill, but what I am referring to as the Hayakawa bill. 



Are all of the amendments the Department of Commerce would 

 like to the Marine Mammal Protection Act contained in the Ha- 

 yakawa bill? 



Mr. Blatt. We could not say, Mr. McCloskey. 



Mr. Gehrinder. We will be pleased to try to address that question 

 though. 



Mr. McCloskey. I will just terminate my question with this re- 

 quest of you. 



By Monday of next week, could you submit to committee staff 

 language of amendments ot the Marine Mammal Protection Act 

 which would permit assessing the cost of the observer program to the 

 industry through the process of issuing a license to a boat on a per 

 trip basis? 



This would allow you to hire an observer for every boat during 

 the balance of fiscal 1977, and would permit us to require that, any 

 foreign fishing boats delivering tuna either to the United States or 

 to a U.S. cannery have a certificate showing their compliance with 

 U.S. regulations. We would require an observer satisfactory to the 

 U.S. on every foreign boat or perhaps an internationnl observer 

 licensed under the American Tuna Commission. 



Could we have that kind of technical language from you by next 

 Monday with the understanding it is not an administration provi- 

 sion. 



Mr. Blatt. We will provide you with that information, sir. 



[The following was received for the record :] 



