REPORT ON OCEANOGRAPHY 19 



the Humboldt and El Nino Currents. The cold Humboldt Current as 

 well as the warm countercurrent of El Nifio has a strong effect in the 

 distribution of fishery resources as well as the climate of western South 

 America. A regional fisheries council is being organized for South Amer- 

 ica, and attention is being given to the establishment of centers for the 

 training of personnel to engage in fisheries and oceanographic investi- 

 gations. 



THAILAND ■■ 



Oceanographic work is just beginning. Tidal observations are 

 being made, sea water temperatures and salinities are being observed, 

 and a fisheries research laboratory is being established. Trained per- 

 sonnel are required to lead this work. 



The Hydrographic Service of the Navy has a division of oceanog- 

 raphy which is mainly concerned with the preparation of Annual pre- 

 diction of tides and tidal currents in the Gulf of Thailand, 



Some salinity data has been collected near the mouth of the river 

 at irregular intervals during the past two years. 



The Department of Fisheries established a Marine Station at Bai 

 Be Rayong in 1953. The program has not yet been established. 



It is hoped that the Hydrographic Service and the Department of 

 Fisheries will co-operate in the collection of temperature and salinity 

 data in the Gulf of Thailand, especially in the areas of the river mouths. 



UNITED STATES OF AMERICA 



Programs in oceanography are carried out more or less independent- 

 ly by services of the federal government, by organizations or bureaus of 

 the several states, and by some universities. 



The U. S. Coast and Geodetic Survey is occupied primarily with 

 the charting of coastal areas, tidal studies, and investigations of tidal 

 and nontidal currents. The Fish and Wildlife Service is concerned 

 with oceanography in relation to fisheries and have conducted a large 

 number of investigations in Alaska, Hawaii, the Trust Territories of 

 the Pacific and off the Pacific coast of the United States. Numerous 

 projects of the U. S. Navy are in progress and much fundamental re- 

 search is sponsored by the Office of Naval Research through grants 

 to universities. Planning of oceanographic studies is made by the 

 Hydrographic Office of the U. S. Navy and this organization serves as 

 a general clearing house for much oceanographic information. The 

 U. S. Coast Guard has cooperated in furthering various studies. The 

 National Academy of Science and the National Research Council have 

 done much to stimulate oceanography in the United States. 



