6 EIGHTH PACIFIC SCIENCE CONGRESS . 



tion of 16 member governments of South and East Asia, while UNESCO 

 has, besides providing substantial grants-in-aid to enable plankton work- 

 ers to attend the forthcoming Symposium to be held in connection with 

 the 5th IPFC meeting in Bangkok, convened, jointly with FAO, the 

 meeting of consultants held immediately prior to this Congress to study 

 the feasibility of promoting a co-operative international oceanographic 

 project for the Indo-Pacific region. It will therefore be seen that there 

 is a tendency for a banding together by many countries of the Pacific 

 area for the study of the sea. Nations that have been dependent solely 

 upon their land resources are now studying their fisheries and exploring 

 their seas, while those nations that have pioneered in oceanographic 

 research have increased their efforts many fold. 



At the first meetings of the Pacific Science Association in New Zea- 

 land, the report of the chairman of the Standing Committee on Oceanog- 

 raphy consisted largely of a review of the principal advances that had 

 been made in instrumentation. The countries of the Pacific were be- 

 ginning to recover from devastating war and the universities and gov- 

 ernmental research agencies were still in the process of readjustment or 

 reorganization. Compared to the present situation little could be said 

 at that time about research accomplishments or planned programs of 

 research. 



In most countries oceanography is undertaken by the senior govern- 

 ment, in the Fisheries or the equivalent department, with close coopera- 

 tion of the navy, and the hydrographic and meteorological services. 

 In practically every case the work is directed by a National Committee 

 representing the services, the allocation of effort, resources and per- 

 sonnel. The outstanding exception is the United States, where oceano- 

 graphic efforts are divided amongst a number of independent agencies, 

 with the universities now tending to play the major role. 



One of the important resolutions of the 7th Congress was one 

 urging the establishment of centers for oceanographic education and 

 research in the Pacific area. At the present time such institutions exist 

 in Canada, Hawaii, Japan, and the United States, with full university 

 connection, where contact with experts of all the sciences which can 

 be applied to the study of the sea is possible, and where full library 

 facilities are available. At these universities are oceanographic institu- 

 tions or academic departments of oceanography. These centers are pro- 

 viding the initiative, inspiration and encouragement necessary to develop 

 young men for the task of advancing oceanographic knowledge. This 

 trend toward the establishment of oceanographic centers in universities 

 is evidenced in other countries of the Pacific area. 



