366 ANNUAL REPORT SMITHSONIAN INSTmJTION, 1064 



deep sea mining is that tlie nodules seem to form at a rate exceeding 

 what we might conceivably take out to cover the present total world 

 consumption of these metals. They are like self -renewing mines. 



As time goes on, other valuable materials may be discovered on the 

 bottom of the sea. Already, off Southwest Africa, a company is recov- 

 ering diamonds. They are hopeful of getting 75,000 carats a month 

 in sizes up to 10 carats. But the nodules and diamonds are just a 

 start ; undersea prospecting has hardly begun. 



It is not surprising that we now drill for oil under the sea on the 

 continental shelves which are merely extensions of the land, the shore- 

 line being an accident of present sea level. We should therefore 

 expect that, as our ability to drill in deeper water increases, oil rigs 

 will push farther and farther off shore. 



Exploitation of all of these things we need from the sea for living 

 will inevitably lead to international disagreements and then, we hope, 

 to agreements surrounding the "ownership" of the oceans. 



Parts of the edges of the ocean must be exempt from exploitation 

 of any kind and must be saved for two other uses. First, for scientific 

 purposes as well as aesthetic, we must have some land, estuarian water, 

 sea, and island communities preserved in their natural state. If we 

 do not do this soon, the whole coast of the United States will be bulk- 

 headed with concrete by well-meaning engineers to prevent the 

 "ravages" of wind and wave. All our estuaries will be filled to make 

 "valuable" shoreline property. Tidal estuaries will be polluted. These 

 and other competitive uses will destroy our valuable seashore and 

 leave none in its natural state. Furthermore, as fishing methods 

 become more efficient, sport fishing even more than commercial fishing, 

 unhampered by the cost of acquisition of aqualungs, guns, chemical 

 lures, electronic fish calls, may deplete certain species. These same 

 species may be the very ones that need the disappearing estuaries as 

 nurseries for their larvae and young. 



Secondly, men during their working lives must periodically take 

 time for "recreation." As the land becomes more crowded and cities 

 grow, men turn to the sea for holidays. This important use should 

 not be forgotten among other competitive uses of the coastal seas. 

 The same reasons have led us to set aside wilderness areas on land. 



Mass-produced underwater vehicles within the reach of many will 

 become as common as automobiles. Advances in miderwater breathing 

 gases and apparatus will make it possible for everyone to go down 

 into the sea. Underwater resorts will develop. People will drive 

 down under the sea, park their submobiles, check into submarines, and 

 participate in one of the many recreations the resort will offer. Like 

 land resorts, the ideal undersea resorts will be in clear, warm water 

 regions — Florida, the Bahamas, across the Antilles, Hawaii, the Pacific 

 islands, and similar areas. Submarine trains and guided tours will 



