Table 1 Summary of regulations (proposed but not accepted for 1962-1965) for yellowfin in the eastern Pacific Ocean. From Bby bff, 1975. ANNUAL REPORT 1973 TABLE 2 Quotas, catches, CPSDF's (Class-3 purse seiners), and CPDFs (Class-6 purse seiners) for yellowfin in the eastern Pacific Ocean, 1967-1978. The quotas and catches are in thousands of short tons, and the CFSDF's and CPUFs in short tons. The CPSDF data are adjusted to compensate for increased success in capturing schools of fish that are encountered. TABLA2 Cuotas, capturas, CPDNP (clase 3 de cerquerus) y CPDP (clase 6 de cerquerus) correspondientes al aleta amarilla del Océano Pacifico oriental, 1967-197S. Las cuotas y las capturas se indican en miles de toneladas americanas y las CPDNP y las CPDP en toneladas americanas. Los datos de la CPDNP se ajustán para com. pensar el aumento de las pescas positivas al capturar cardúmenes de peces que se encuentran **+ (2x10) indicates two increments of 10 thousand tons each to be added to the quota at the discretion of the Director of Investigations. "preliminary estimates of annual values **+ (2x10)" indica los dos incrementos de 10 mil toneladas cada uno que se han de agregar a la cuota a discreción del Director de Investigaciones. **estimación preliminar de los valores anuales -23 The release requirements, however, were routinely ignored. The two manned speedboats required to be in the water prior to backdown were never deployed; consequently on several occasions the net collapsed and the captured porpoise were able to breathe only by struggling against the net. During backdown there were one or two men in a speedboat stationed at the apron to assist in releasing porpoise, but a rescuer with facemask and snorkel in a rubber raft was never deployed. Had these two procedures been performed, it is my opinion that the observed porpoise mortality as indicated Thus on this trip the vessel under-reported the total mortality, mortality per porpoise set, and mortality per ton yellowfin caught on These esti porpoise by more than an order of magnitude. The estimate for the 1979 fishing season by the NMFS of mortality per porpoise set was 2.97; of mortality per ton yellowfin caught on porpoise, 0.29; and total mortality, 18 thousand porpoise (Porpoise Mortality Status Report, 1979). mates are calculated from trips monitored by an observer from the NMFS. The mortality rates I observed were greater than the NMFS estimates by a factor of three. The NMFS estimates total mortality by multiplying the average mortality per porpoise set by a total number of porpoise sets. Therefore, if my data are representative of the tuna fleet performance which is not subject to government observation, the total mortality for 1979 could have exceeded 50 thousand porpoise. Because crews receive no training in porpoise identification, and because mortality is reported by species rather than by stock, it is likely that certain depleted stocks of porpoise are not receiving the protection intended by the MMPA and the rules and regulations of the NMFS. The likelihood increases when one considers that tuna fishermen on unobserved trips are in the habit of setting on virtually any school of porpoise which appears to carry a sufficient quantity of yellowfin tuna. |