Mr. DINGELL. Immediately after the open hearings, the subcommittee will go into executive session for the purpose of considering pending legislation. The witnesses this morning will be: Congressman Thomas M. Pelly, author, H.R. 9734; Congressman Brock Adams, author, H.R. 9801; Mr. William Herrington, Special Assistant for Fisheries and Wildlife to the Under Secretary of State for Economic Affairs. The Interior Department will stand on its report. Mr. Harold E. Crowther, Deputy Director, Bureau of Commercial Fisheries, will be present. The Chair will recognize the author of the original legislation, our colleague, Congressman Pelly, for whatever comments he chooses to make on the legislation. STATEMENT OF HON. THOMAS M. PELLY, A REPRESENTATIVE IN CONGRESS FROM THE STATE OF WASHINGTON Mr. PELLY. Mr. Chairman and members of the committee, I want to thank you for the opportunity to testify on behalf of H.R. 9734, which I introduced. The purpose of this legislation is to authorize $500,000 to construct facilities badly needed by the International Pacific Halibut Commission. Since 1925 the Commission has been located on or near the campus of the University of Washington in Seattle. Even though the Seattle Laboratory of the Fish and Wildlife Service has been expanded within the last year by a major addition, the space available there is still not sufficient to accommodate the local staff of the Bureau of Commercial Fishing. Over the years the Halibut Commission has been quartered in wooden buildings that were built on the campus during World War I. Needless to say, these wooden buildings have long outlived their normal life span and are now scheduled to be torn down. The State of Washington has appropriated sufficient funds to construct a wing on the fisheries building to accommodate the Fisheries Research Institute which has also been housed in these World War I buildings. This wing is now being designed and is scheduled to be completed within the next 2 years after which the old fisheries buildings now occupied by the Fisheries Research Bureau are to be demolished. Thus measures should be taken to provide quarters for the Commission's staff. Location of the staff of the Halibut Commission on the campus has benefited both the Commission and the university. The university has provided consultants for the Halibut Commission and has also made it possible for the Commission's staff to attend seminars and classes. The Commission on its part has maintained a valuable library and its senior staff members have cooperated by giving lectures and conducting seminars in the College of Fisheries. It is altogether too possible that unless our Government acts on this matter of providing facilities for the Halibut Commission the Cana dian Government will step into the void and the Commission would be moved to Canada. As the Department of State has stated, the best interests of the U.S. Government would be served by having the Commission's headquarters located in this country. The Canadian Government is already furnishing space for the International Pacific Sockeye Salmon Fisheries Commission at Vancouver, British Columbia, and for the International North Pacific Fisheries Commission at the University of British Columbia. The United States is furnishing quarters for the Inter-American Tropical Tuna Commission at the University of California at La Jolla. The necessity for sustaining the Halibut Commission can well be pointed out by the examination of the halibut harvest since 1924, the year in which the Commission was organized. By the early 1920's, our halibut resources had been severely depleted. In 1924, only 40 million pounds were harvested. Today, after some 40 years of intense conservation efforts undertaken by the Commission the halibut catch rose to a catch average of 65 million pounds. Although these figures read well the industry has experienced many problems. For instance, the East Bering Sea halibut grounds have been overfished by the Japanese since being opened to them 2 years ago. The Commission has a tough course set for itself in persuading the Japanese to cooperate in conservation. As the Committee is aware, the Senate has passed similar legislation recently. The departmental reports are favorable, and it is important that this legislation be acted on quickly in order to provide continuity of facilities available to the Halibut Commission I therefore ask your favorable consideration of H.R. 9734. I would ask that the statement of the fishing vessel owners be included in the record at this point. Mr. DINGELL. Without objection. (The statement referred to follows:) STATEMENT OF E. H. LOKKEN, MANAGER, FISHING VESSEL OWNERS ASSOCIATION, OF SEATTLE, WASH. The passage of this legislation is most urgent. The present quarters on the University of Washington campus which have been in "temporary" buildings for the past forty years, similar to the "temporary" buildings housing a number of government offices in Washington, D.C., are to be torn down to make way for new construction for purposes unrelated to fisheries. New quarters in another location are therefore necessary. The International Pacific Halibut Commission which consists of three commissioners each from Canada and the United States was formed in 1924 to investigate and regulate the halibut fishery of the North Pacific Ocean with the objective of providing a maximum sustained yield on a permanent basis. This the Commission has done with outstanding success. After a preliminary period of investigation, the Commission instituted regulations which increased the annual catch from 43,000,000 pounds in 1931 when meaningful regulations began to the present time when the catch averages 65,000,000 pounds per year. Proper quarters for this most important international fisheries regulatory body are long overdue. The present quarters are inadequate and an embarrassment to the United States. In the North Pacific area, Canada and the United States are members of three international commissions. Two of these commissions, the International Pacific Halibut Commission, and the International Pacific Salmon Commission, are composed only of Canada and the United States while the third, the International North Pacific Fisheries Commission includes Japan as a member in addition to Canada and the United States. Of the three Commissions, the Salmon Commission and the North Pacific Commission are located in Canada in quarters supplied by the Canadian government while the Halibut Commission is located in the United States. The International North Pacific Fisheries Commission is provided with modern quarters, recently constructed, on the campus of the University of British Columbia in Vancouver, B.C. while the International Pacific Salmon Commission is provided modern facilities in the Federal Building in New Westminster, B.C. The United States should without delay provide quarters for the Halibut Commission comparable to those furnished the other fisheries commissions in Canada. This legislation provides for such quarters and will correct a situation which is an embarrassment to the United States government. There is danger also that if this legislation does not pass, the quarters of the Halibut Commission may be moved to Canada. This would be unfortunate for the headquarters of a fisheries commission with its scientific staff is an asset to the country in which it is located. This is due to the fact that the staff members are available for consultation and frequently serve as instructors in adjacent educational institutions. They contribute greatly to the scientific life of the country also. A commission's staff serves as a training ground for fishery scientists and administrators as well. The Halibut Commission in this regard has an impressive record. A few of those who once served as staff members of the Halibut Commission and who now hold important positions elsewhere include the following: the present Dean of the School of Fisheries in the University of Washington, the present Special Assistant for Fisheries and Wildlife to the Under Secretary of the Department of State, Washington, D.C., the former Special Assistant for Fisheries and Wildlife in the Department of State who is now the President of the Van Camp Foundation in San Diego, California, the present Director of the Inter-American Tropical Tuna Commission, the present Director of the Pacific Marine Fisheries Commission and many others. The Halibut Commission also adds to the prestige of the University of Washington on whose campus it is now located and where it should continue to be. Halibut Commission staff members now serve the University when needed as part time instructors. They are available to fisheries students at the University for consultation. The Commission furnishes employment to fisheries students from time to time giving them practical experience in the furtherance of their studies. It is a relationship that is most important to both the Commission and the University. Passage of this legislation is essential also to indicate the importance the United States government places upon the work of the Commission. Adequate quarters will give the Commission the added prestige which it deserves. This prestige is particularly important at the present time due to the presence in the North Pacific Ocean of a large number of foreign trawlers fishing for other species. These foreign trawlers are capable of doing great harm to the halibut fishery. They have not done so to date due to the fear of assuming the responsibility of destroying a fishery in the eyes of the world, particularly a fishery which has a world-wide reputation for accomplishment in conservation of a deep sea fishery resource. As we see it, the passage of this legislation is an obligation of the United States in fulfillment of its duties to a great international conservation program. It is the duty of the United States to provide this facility. It is to the benefit of the United States that this facility be located at or near the University of Washington where the Commission may draw upon the scientific talents of the University and in turn serve the University in the future as it has in the past. For reasons given, the Fishing Vessel Owners Association, speaking in behalf of the operators of halibut fishing vessels based in Pacific Coast ports from Eureka, California to Kodiak, Alasaka, therefore urges the passage by the House of S. 1975 and related legislation to provide the proper quarters in the United States for this most important fishery commission. Mr. DINGELL. The Chair has received a communication from the Chairman of the Senate Commerce Committee, the Honorable Warren Magnuson, regarding this legislation. Without objection, that communication will appear in the record at this point. 69-049-66- -6 (The letter referred to follows:) U.S. SENATE, COMMITTEE ON COMMERCE. July 23, 1965. Hon. JOHN D. DINGELL, Chairman, Subcommittee on Fisheries and Wildlife Conservation, U.S. House of Representatives, Washington, D.C. DEAR CONGRESSMAN DINGELL: I am writing to you concerning S. 1975 which is now before your Committee. S. 1975 provides for adequate facilities for the North Pacific Halibut Commission which is located at the University of Washington in Seattle, Washington. This is a most important measure for the halibut industry, and a copy of the Senate Report is enclosed. There are several similar House bills also before your Committee, and I am hopeful that your subcommittee will be able to consider it in the near future. As you will see in the Report, it is important to begin construction promptly so that there will be a continuity of facilities available to the Halibut Commission. I am pleased at the meritorious legislation that you have sent on to us, and we are considering it as quickly as possible. I appreciate your efforts in this matter. Sincerely yours, WARREN G. MAGNUSON, U.S. Senator. Mr. PELLY. I think I would like at this point to explain briefly what the International Pacific Halibut Commission is because I am sure there are many Members of Congress who are unfamiliar with the work of this very fine Commission over the years. The halibut fishery of Canada and the United States in the northern Pacific Ocean and the Bering Sea has been subject to scientific study and regulation for 40 years. These activities have been carried out by the International Pacific Halibut Commission under authority of the 1953 Convention and by the precedent International Fisheries Commission under Conventions signed in 1923, 1930, and 1937. Under the first Convention, which was signed March 2, 1923, and ratified October 21, 1924, the responsibilities of the Commission were largely directed to investigation of the conditions of the fishery for the purpose of recommending measures for its rehabilitation. The Convention did provide for a winter closed season aimed at reducing fishing intensity on spawning concentrations of halibut. The subsequent Conventions of 1930, 1937, and 1953 provided for the division of the coast into areas, the control of the amount of fishing by setting annual catch limits or by adjusting the length of the closed season in any area, and the placing of limits on the size of the fish to be retained by the fishery. The current 1953 Convention, which provided the present name for the Commission, specifically charges it with developing the stocks of Pacific halibut to levels which will permit maximum sustained yield and with maintaining the stocks at those levels. With that, I wish to close simply by thanking the committee for this opportunity to appear. I certainly urge them to report the bill out expeditiously. Mr. DINGELL. We will now hear from one of the cosponsors of the bill, Congressman Meeds. STATEMENT OF HON. LLOYD MEEDS, A REPRESENTATIVE IN CONGRESS FROM THE STATE OF WASHINGTON Mr. MEEDS. Mr. Chairman, I am pleased to appear before the committee in support of H.R. 9734, and related measures that seek to improve the facilities of the International Pacific Halibut Commission. Since 1925 the International Pacific Halibut Commission has been located at the University of Washington in Seattle. The Commission is currently housed in a decrepit structure of 1917 vintage. This structure, like many of the "temporary" buildings here in Washington, D.C., was also originally designed for "temporary" occupancy. But, today the condition of this building can only be regarded as an embarrassment to the United States. In 1924 the United States by treaty with Canada established the International Pacific Halibut Commission, the joint purpose being to institute studies and to promote meaningful conservation regulations in order to insure a maximum sustained yield on a permanent basis. Membership consists of three representatives from each country, the chairmanship and vice-chairmanship alternating between each country in successive years. The Commission has performed with astounding success. In the 40 years since its inception, the Commission has promoted conservation and profits, for the halibut catch has increased from 43 million pounds in 1931 to 65 million pounds in recent times. American and Canadian fishermen have willingly sacrificed their immediate interests in order to guarantee us an inexpensive yet vital dietary item. But as I said, the Commission's archaic headquarters is an embarrassment to the United States. The International Pacific Halibut Commission is but one of three similar organizations of which this country is a member. The International Pacific Salmon Commission is located in the modern quarters of the Federal building in New Westminister, British Columbia. The International North Pacific Fisheries Commission, of which Japan is the third member, is situated in the recently constructed facilities at the University of British Columbia in Vancouver. The Halibut Commission's lease with the University of Washington expires in the fall of 1966. And if we do not take steps to correct this embarrassing situation, then Canada by our default may assume the residency of all three Commissions. And we should remember that while $500,000 is the maximum amount authorized to construct the needed quarters, University of Washington officials estimate the probable cost to be only $300,000. H.R. 9734 will assist the University of Washington as well as the International Pacific Halibut Commission. The university is presently erecting a new building to house a special fisheries research institute. The concern of the university for greater research in the field of conservation augments the Commission's efforts to achieve meaningful conservation results. Through seminars and lectures the Commission contributes to the program offered by the School of Fisheries. Likewise, the university benefits through association with a policymaking body of the United States and Canada. |