Richard Dreyfuss, Dr. Henry Heimlich, Ed Asner and I appear before a Congressional Committee while trying to obtain financing for my Tilapia project. Talapia is a fish that thrives in brackish water, allowing us to efficiently provide inexpensive protein to feed the African people. We did not get the funds for even one pilot project, a very disappointing result.

Paul found the love of his life in Jean Freeman. After seeing each other for a few years, they got married in Tijuana. This was the beginning of their adventures together. Jean enjoyed all kinds of adventurous things and Paul finally found a companion who would fly with him. Shortly after they had been married, Paul came up with an idea that might help the starving African people.

I contacted Ed Asner who recognized the possibilities and interested others in our industry. Many Hollywood celebrities joined us in creating an organization called "Africa Tomorrow". The crisis at the time involved the sub-Saharan region where water and food were so scarce that the poor Africans were literally dropping like flies. The original board of directors consisted of Ed Asner (who was then President of Screen Actors Guild), Richard Dreyfus, John Ritter and myself. Other celebrities lent their names and became officers and spokes persons for the African plight. Our stationery read like a "Who's Who" of Theater, Politics, Science and the Sports World. Among those that joined and gave support were, Jane Fonda, Dr. Henry Heimlich, Ted Kennedy, Dennis Weaver, Patti Duke and Elliot Gould to mention just a few. We held regular meetings and were granted a non-profit status. Everyone embraced my concept and felt we had a real winner. The idea was based on the science of Aquaculture, which was not new, but the approach I took seemed ideal for the countless tribes of the African continent. There's an old saying that goes, "Give a man a fish and you feed him for a day; teach him how to raise fish and you feed him forever". Let me cite a few facts that excited me in the first place.

I zeroed in on an amazing fish called "Tilapia". Hardly anyone at the time had heard of this creature but recently its name has begun to appear on menus of many fashionable restaurants. The flesh of Tilapia is quite tasty but its mating habits are

tilapia Image courtesy of University of Arizona Related: Vertebrates (telä´pee) , any member of the genus Tilapia, spiny-finned freshwater fishes of the family Cichlidae, native chiefly to Africa and the Middle East. Tilapias incubate their eggs orally; one or both parents carry them in their mouths until (and for a short period after) the young hatch. A species of E and S Africa, Tilapia mossambica, has been successfully transplanted to parts of East Asia and South America, providing a cheap and rapidly breeding source of protein. Tilapia is classified in the phylum Chordata, subphylum Vertebrata, class Osteichthyes, order Perciformes, family Cichlidae. Encyclopedia.com

almost incredulous. One female can spawn up to 500 fry almost on a monthly basis. The fingerlings can attain several pounds in weight within six months. An Aqua culturist is needed to determine the sex of the brood because the genders must be separated or the males will devour the young. In addition, if they are not kept in separate ponds, overcrowding will occur on subsequent spawns and growth will be stunted, yielding fish the size of minnows. Tilapia is the only species I know of that can thrive in brackish water. Not just survive, I mean thrive. Home grown Tilapia is a low-tech operation made to order for tribal villages and small communities; in fact, any average citizen can grow them in his backyard There are two great advantages for using Tilapia; they are almost total protein, exactly what is needed for starving people, and they also happen to be scavengers that will eat grass, straw, algae and an endless variety of vegetation. In short, that includes every weed that grows. Armed with this information, Asner, Dryefus and I boarded a jet to Washington where we planned to hook up with Heimlich on Capitol Hill. Our mission was to secure a grant from Congress to build one prototype project in Africa and teach the Africans how to raise Tilapia.

We had a most interesting flight that night because Paul Newman's daughter was on board and she spotted Dreyfus immediately. Ted Turner knew Richard and Ed and we all chatted away the hours as the clouds sailed by.

We landed at Dulles Airport the following morning after a sleepless journey from Hollywood. We were a pitiful sight when Ted Kennedy met us in the Capitol Rotunda and took us to his office. It seemed that everyone we encountered was on our side and "Africa Tomorrow" was the topic of the day. Barbara Boxer greeted us and we were introduced to other dignitaries as we made our way to the house floor where a congressional committee was awaiting our arrival. It may seem funny but when a bunch of celebrities descends upon Washington, our political leaders react very much like other fans. So, in we marched and took our seats in front of this illustrious panel. It was then that we met up with Heimlich who had arrived several hours earlier. We were trying to look alert but the flight had taken its toll and one by one we were called upon to make our presentations. Heimlich was first and he explained in detail the difference between malnutrition and starvation and Congress was surprised to learn the difference. People can eat plenty of food but if they get no protein they will die of malnutrition. Conversely, if they get no food they will die of starvation. Fish appeared to fill both needs and seemed to be the ideal solution. After Richard spoke I patiently waited for my turn to describe the merits of the technology. Both Dreyfus and Asner were brilliant orators as they chronicled the virtues of my brainstorm. They stressed its efficacy and tried to sway Congress to consider funding the project. After showing the bureaucracy that Hollywood was behind the idea, it was my turn to convince our government, then close the deal and go celebrate.

"Ladies and gentlemen of this august body", I began. "There is barely any water in the arid, sub-Saharan region and I don't have to tell you that the African people that live there are dying at the rate of 5000 a day. I brought with me several hydrological surveys showing that abundant water tables exist underground and I propose to drill a well, bring this water to the surface and fill multiple ponds in which to raise an amazing creature called Tilapia. If these pools were stocked with any other species, almost every fish would die. Only the Tilapia can thrive in this brackish water". I had intended to describe the incredible facts of Tilapia's prodigious spawning characteristics and wind up by asking for a small grant for one prototype to prove my point. Right then a Congressman interrupted me. "Dr. Winchell, are you seriously proposing to drill for water that is not potable?"

"With all due respects sir. The fish aren't going to drink the water just thrive in it and multiply, thereby creating an endless food chain to feed the starving people". There was applause from the young interns seated behind me and I thought I had the deal sewed up but was I wrong. This one Congressman just couldn't buy the fact that the drilling was intended to bring up brackish water. There was no other water available anywhere in that barren desert. I'm sure we're all familiar with Harry Truman's famous quote "The buck stops here." Well, that buck was stopped cold right in front of this pillar of bureaucracy.

"You expect us to give you money to dig a well for water that's not fit to drink?" I thought to myself, "If this is the kind of wisdom that runs our country no wonder we're always in a mess". Right then we all knew it was going to be a hopeless cause. There was no way I could convince this clown that human lives were at stake and perhaps eventually millions might be saved. We even went to the trouble of passing out samples of tasty Tilapia prepared for us by a local restaurant and though they agreed it was delicious, his guy would not yield on the one point of drilling a well for anything but drinking water. Ed, Richard, Hank and I were very disappointed but not half so appalled as being dismissed and learning later that Congress handed out grants to other aquaculture projects in Kenya where no Africans were starving because Kenya has rivers and streams galore and abundant fresh water for agriculture and livestock.

Heimlich went back to Cincinnati and on the way home Richard, Ed and I took a detour to the Big Apple and let Dreyfus visit his relatives in the Bronx. At least we had one funny moment that didn't soothe our disappointment but sure gave us a laugh. We were strolling down 49th Street when we spotted Alan King walking in the gutter carrying his tuxedo over his shoulder. When he saw us he did a triple take. We asked him where he was going. "I got a club date at the Waldorf tonight," he grinned, "and thought I'd walk". We broke up and laughed like a bunch of kids…and not a soul passing by recognized any of us. So go ahead and be a celebrity.