Although we have many marine laboratories in the United States, only a 

 few conducted research on water pollution problems until fairly recently. 

 Some of the early studies were carried out by Julius Nelson, who began his 

 investigations of oysters in the last quarter of the past century. His 

 son, Thurlow Nelson, continued the studies on oysters and presented his 

 findings in several reports from the Department of Biology of Rutgers 

 University (1917, 1921, 1923, 1927, 1936, and 1938). In the 1950's 

 bacteriological studies were made on sewage disposed of through ocean 

 outfalls by the determination of coliforms and other bacteria, their 

 abundance and rate of decrease, and the factors affecting each. Studies 

 were also made to evaluate bacterial contamination, bacteria in sediments, 

 bacteria in submerged outfalls, the bactericidal action of sea water, and 

 the survival of enteric organisms in sea water. 



During the past 20 years biological oceanography and marine biology 

 have recieved more attention. Stations are now established at the mouths 

 of estuaries, and the emphasis has changed from observational, physical, 

 chemical, and taxonomic studies to biological, physiological, environ- 

 mental, and ecological approaches including bioassays, toxicological 

 studies, environmental requirements, and mariculture. Mariculture, or the 

 rearing of food organisms, is important especially in that it provides 

 techniques for the rearing, care, and handling of test organisms for 

 bioassays and the production of different life stages of organisms in 

 sufficient numbers for bioassay tests. The development of methods for 

 rearing mrine organisms is basic for long-term bioassays extending through 

 a portion or the entire life cycle of an organism. 



From November 1972 through April 1974, I devoted a portion of my time 

 to a survey of the marine laboratories of the Atlantic and Gulf coasts. 

 This provided first-hand information on the various research projects under 

 way on the toxicity of pesticides, metals, and other materials; on the en- 

 vironmental requirements of estuarine organisms; and on the culture not 

 only of fishes, but also of many other marine organisms important 

 commercially and as food for other organisms. Some of the subjects that 

 are now being or have recently been studied are: (1) Microbial 

 decomposition of oil and pulp mill wastes; (2) bioaccumulation of heavy 

 metals by littoral and pelagic marine animals; (3) effects of toxicants on 

 the larval stages, juveniles, and adults of marine animals to ascertain the 

 most sensitive stages in the life cycle; (4) potential environmental 

 disturbances due to marine mining operations as a basis for developing 

 appropriate marine mining techniques; (5) decay of pesticides in marine 

 sediments, its rates and pathways, and identification of decomposition 

 products and their effects; (6) the distribution of radionuclides in the 

 marine environment; and (7) accumulation of persistent organic compounds in 

 phytoplankton and their effects. In addition, studies are being made of 

 the effects of ocean dumping of wastes; the collection of potential 

 toxicants in bottom deposits; the return of toxicants from benthic 

 sediments; the increase of dissolved toxicants in marine water; the 

 bioaccumulation of toxicants; the fate and effects of oil, pesticides, and 

 metals in the marine environment; and the development of bioassay methods 

 for use with marine invertebrates. 



30 



