"The scale, severity, and duration of the world food problems are so great 

 that a massive, long-range, innovative effort unprecedented in human history 

 will be required to master it . . ." — the world food problem, report of 



THE president's SCIENCE ADVISORY COMMITTEE, MAY 196 7 



Chapter III 



ACCELERATING USE OF 

 FOOD FROM THE SEA 



More effective use of the living resources of the ocean can provide better 

 and less expensive food, enchance economic opportunities at home and 

 abroad, and serve as an important weapon in the world-wide War on 

 Hunger. Our interest in improved utilization of these resources is thus moti- 

 vated by separate but related considerations. 



A strengthened American fishing industry can assist the growth of our 

 domestic economy by contributing to : 



— a wider variety of food products for many Americans ; 



— inexpensive protein sources for low income families; 



^more viable economies of coastal communities dependent on fishing, 



including better paying jobs for American fishermen; 

 — reduction of the balance of payments deficit by larger U.S. exports 

 of fish products and by improving the competitiveness of the U.S. 

 fishing industry. 

 Furthermore, if we are to sustain world leadership on a broad front in 

 the understanding and efTective use of the sea, strong research and industrial 

 capabilities in the field of fisheries are essential. 



Much is known about present and predictable ravages of malnutrition 

 and famine. Yet world food production has barely kept pace with a rapidly 

 expanding population. Protein malnutrition afflicts one-half of the world 

 population — one and one-half billion people. Thus, the imbalance between 

 protein supplies and requirements is so serious that every reasonable ap- 



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