MISCELLANEOUS FISHERIES LEGISLATION FISH PROTEIN CONCENTRATE TUESDAY, AUGUST 16, 1966 HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES, SUBCOMMITTEE ON FISHERIES AND WILDLIFE CONSERVATION The subcommittee met at 10:10 a.m., pursuant to call, in room 1334, Longworth House Office Building, Hon. John D. Dingell (chairman of the subcommittee) presiding. Mr. DINGELL. The subcommittee will come to order. This morning the Subcommittee on Fisheries and Wildlife Conservation will begin hearings on a series of bills designed to promote the development of fish protein concentrate through an accelerated research program. Fish protein concentrate is not itself a new product. Certain methods of producing fish protein concentrate have been used for centuries in such countries as South Africa, Asia, Germany, Canada, and many other countries. For the past several years, the Bureau of Commercial Fisheries of the Department of the Interior has been studying the different methods utilized throughout the world and has recently discovered a process which would utilize the whole fish as a food additive or food supple ment. The Chair would like to note that the program is designed mainly to help meet the world hunger problem. The Chair would also like to note that petition has been filed with the Food and Drug Administration for approval of a whole fish protein concentrate for human consumption. At this time, however, the petition has not been approved. In carrying out the purposes of the bills to be heard today and tomorrow by the subcommittee, the Secretary of the Interior would be authorized to provide for the construction and operation and maintenance of demonstration plants, the number of such plants varying between the respective bills from one plant to a maximum of an indefinite number. Presently pending before the subcommittee on this subject are 16 bills, all of which will be heard. The first group of bills are identical and provide for the construction of five demonstration plants. They are H.R. 12269, by Mr. Rivers of Alaska; H.R. 13347, by Mr. Don Clausen; H.R. 13457, by Mr. Wyatt, H.R. 14842, by Mr. King of Utah; H.R. 14905, by Mr. O'Neill; H.R. 15099, by Mr. Hathaway; and H.R. 16173, by Mr. Tupper. In addition, the subcommittee will hear H.R. 13722, by Mr. Bates, and a similar bill by Mr. O'Neill, H.R. 14268, both of which would authorize the construction of only one plant. H.R. 14145, by Mr. McDowell, of Delaware, would authorize the construction of three plants, one of which would be located in Lewes, Del. H.R. 14699, by Mr. Keith, would authorize a sufficient number of plants, such number to be determined by the Secretary in his discretion. Finally, the Senate-passed bill, S. 2720, and identical bills H.R. 16095, by Mr. Pelly; H.R. 16145, by Mr. Hanna; H.R. 16619, by Mr. Downing; and H.R. 17070, by Mr. Rogers of Florida, all of which would authorize the construction of five plants, are very similar to the bills listed in the first group. Let the bills and the departmental reports appear in the record at this point. (Bills and reports follow :) [H.R. 12269, H.R. 13347, H.R. 13457, H.R. 14842, H.R. 14905, H.R. 15099, H.R. 16173, 89th Cong., 2d sess.] BILLS TO authorize the Secretary of the Interior to develop, through the use of experiment and demonstration plants, practicable and economic means for the production by the commercial fishing industry of fish protein concentrate Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the United States of American in Congress assembled, That the Secretary of the Interior is authorized to conduct, using his existing authorities, and to encourage and to promote research, studies, and experiments by public and private agencies and organizations to develop the best and most economical processes and methods to reduce fish which are in abundant supply and which are not now widely sought after for human food, to a highly nutritious and stable fish protein concentrate. SEC. 2. (a) The Secretary is also authorized to provide for the construction, operation, and maintenance of not to exceed five experiment and demonstration plants for the production of a fish protein concentrate. Such plants shall be designed to demonstrate the reliability and practicability and the economic, engineering, and operating potentials of the processes and methods to reduce fish to fish protein concentrate. Such plants shall be located in such geographical areas as the Secretary determines will demonstrate optimum feasibility from the standpoint of operation, maintenance, and economic potential. (b) The Secretary may enter into a contract or contracts for the construction of the plants authorized by subsection (a) of this section, and he may, to the extent he deems desirable, enter into a separate contract or contracts for the operation and maintenance of such plants. Each operation and maintenance contract shall provide, in addition to such terms and conditions as the Secretary deems desirable, for the compilation by the contractor of complete records with respect to the operation, maintenance, and engineering of the plant or plants. The records so compiled shall be made available to the public and to the Congress by the Secretary at periodic and reasonable intervals. Access by the public to the plants shall be assured during all phases of their operation subject to such reasonable restrictions as to time and place as the Secretary may require or approve. (c) Each constructed plant and its equipment upon the expiration of a period deemed adequate by the Secretary for experiment and demonstration purposes, but not to exceed ten years from the date of this Act, shall, as promptly as practicable, be disposed of in accordance with the applicable provisions of the Federal Property and Administrative Services Act, as amended. (d) The Secretary may acquire lands or interests therein, patents, licenses, technical data, inventions, secret processes, supplies, and equipment by purchase, license, lease, or donation to carry out the provisions of this section. (e) With the approval of the Secretary of the Interior, any fish protein concentrate produced in plants constructed or operated under the provisions of this Act may be sold under title I or IV of Public Law 480, Eighty-third Congress. SEC. 3. There are authorized to be appropriated not to exceed $5,000,000 for the construction of the plants authorized by this Act, together with such additional sums as may be necessary for the operation and maintenance of such plants, and for conducting the program authorized by this Act. SEC. 4. The Secretary shall cooperate with public and private agencies, organizations, institutions, and individuals in carrying out the program authorized by this Act. [H.R. 13722, 89th Cong., 2d sess.] A BILL To authorize the Secretary of the Interior to develop, through the use of an experiment and demonstration plant, practicable and economic means for the production by the commercial fishing industry of fish protein concentrate Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, That the Secretary of the Interior is authorized to conduct, using his existing authorities, and to encourage and to promote research, studies, and experiments by public and private agencies and organizations to develop the best and most economical processes, and methods to reduce fish which are in abundant supply and which are not now widely sought after for human food, to a highly nutritious and stable fish protein concentrate. SEC. 2. (a) The Secretary is also authorized to provide for the construction, operation, and maintenance of an experiment and demonstration plant for the production of a fish protein concentrate. Such plant shall be designed to demonstrate the reliability and practicability and the economic, engineering, and operating potentials of the processes and methods to reduce fish to fish protein concentrate. Such plant shall be located in such geographical area as the Secretary determines will demonstrate optimum feasibility from the standpoint of operation, maintenance, and economic potential. (b) The Secretary may enter into a contract for the construction of the plant authorized by subsection (a) of this section, and he may, to the extent he deems desirable, enter into a separate contract for the operation and maintenance of such plant. Such operation and maintenance contract shall provide, in addition to such terms and conditions as the Secretary deems desirable, for the compilation by the contractor of complete records with respect to the operation, maintenance, and engineering of the plant. The records so compiled shall be made available to the public and to the Congress by the Secretary at periodic and reasonable intervals. Access by the public to the plant shall be assured during all phases of its operation subject to such reasonable restrictions as to time and place as the Secretary may require or approve. (c) The constructed plant and its equipment upon the expiration of a period deemed adequate by the Secretary for experiment and demonstration purposes, but not to exceed ten years from the date of this Act, shall, as promptly as practicable, be disposed of in accordance with the applicable provisions of the Federal Property and Administrative Services Act, as amended. (b) The Secretary may acquire lands or interests therein, patents, licenses, technical data, inventions, secret processes, supplies, and equipment by purchase, license, lease, or donation to carry out the provisions of this section. SEC. 3. There are authorized to be appropriated not to exceed $1,000,000 for the construction of the plant authorized by this Act, together with a sum not to exceed $300,000 annually for the operation and maintenance of such plant, and for conducting the program authorized by this Act. SEC. 4. The Secretary shall cooperate with public and private agencies, organizations, institutions, and individuals in carrying out the program authorized by this Act. [H.R. 14145, 89th Cong., 2d sess.] A BILL To authorize the Secretary of the Interior to develop. through the Bureau of Commercial Fisheries, the use of experiment and demonstration plants, practicable and economic means for the production by the commercial fishing industry of fish protein concentrate, as recommended by the National Academy of Sciences-National Research Council Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, That the Secretary of the Interior is authorized to conduct, through the Bureau of Commercial Fisheries, using his existing authorities, and to encourage and to promote research, studies, and experiments by public and private agencies and organizations to develop the best and most economical processes and methods to reduce fish which are in abundant supply and which are not now widely sought after for human food, to a highly nutritious and stable fish protein concentrate. SEC. 2. (a) The Secretary is also authorized to provide for the construction, operation, and maintenance of not to exceed three experiment and demonstration plants for the production of a fish protein concentrate, one of which shall be located in Lewes, Delaware. Such plants shall be designed, (1) to demonstrate the reliability and practicability and the economic, engineering, and operating potentials of the processes and methods to reduce fish to fish protein concentrate and, (2) to produce at least one thousand tons of such fish protein concentrate for large-scale nutritional projects addressed to human protein malnutrition as soon as possible, in order to meet the needs, in line with the resolution adopted by the Food and Nutrition Board, Advisory Committee on Marine Protein Resource Development, National Academy of Sciences-National Research Council. (b) The Secretary may enter into a contract or contracts for the construction of the plants authorized by subsection (a) of this section, and he may, to the extent he deems desirable, enter into a separate contract or contracts for the operation and maintenance of such plants. Each operation and maintenance contract shall provide, in addition to such terms and conditions as the Secretary deems desirable, for the compilation by the contractor of complete records with respect to the operation, maintenance, and engineering of the plant or plants. The records so compiled shall be made available to the public and to the Congress by the Secretary at periodic and reasonable intervals. Access by the public to the plants shall be assured during all phases of their operation subject to such reasonable restrictions as to time and place as the Secretary may require or approve. (c) Each constructed plant and its equipment upon the expiration of a period deemed adequate by the Secretary for experiment and demonstration purposes, shall, as promptly as practicable, be disposed of in accordance with the applicable provisions of the Federal Property and Administrative Services Act, as amended. (d) The Secretary may acquire lands or interests therein, patents, licenses, technical data, inventions, secret processes, supplies, and equipment by purchase, license, lease, or donations to carry out the provisions of this section. (e) With the approval of the Secretary of the Interior, any fish protein concentrate produced in plants constructed or operated under the provisions of this Act may be sold under title I or IV or Public Law 480, Eighty-third Congress. SEC. 3. There are authorized to be appropriated not to exceed $3,000,000 for the construction of the plants authorized by this Act, together with such additional sums as may be necessary for the operation and maintenance of such plants, and for conducting the program authorized by this Act. SEC. 4. The Secretary shall cooperate with public and private agencies, organizations, institutions, and individuals in carrying out the program authorized by this Act. [H.R. 14268, 89th Cong., 2d sess.] A BILL To authorize the Secretary of the Interior to develop, through the use of an experiment and demonstration plant, practicable and economic means for the production by the commercial fishing industry of fish protein concentrate Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, That the Secretary of the Interior is authorized to conduct, using his existing authorities, and to encourage and to promote research, studies, and experiments by public and private agencies and organizations to develop the best and most economical processes and methods to reduce fish which are in abundant supply and which are not now widely sought after for human food, to a highly nutritious and stable fish protein concentrate. SEC. 2. (a) The Secretary is also authorized to provide for the construction. operation, and maintenance of an experiment and demonstration plant for the production of a fish protein concentrate. Such plant shall be designed to d-monstrate the reliability and practicability and the economic, engineering, and operating potentials of the processes and methods to reduce fish to fish protein concentrate. |