"/ cannot say that I am in the slightest degree impressed by your big- 

 ness or your material resources as such. Size is not grandeur, and 

 territory does not make a nation. The great issue . . . is, what are 

 you going to do with these things? — thomas huxlev 



Chapter I 



MARINE SCIENCES AND 

 NATIONAL GOALS 



From its earliest days this Nation has turned to the seas — for transporta- 

 tion and commerce, for national defense, and for natural resources. 



Now 75 percent of our population lives in the States bordering the oceans 

 and the Great Lakes, and 45 percent of our urban population, together with 

 much of our industry, is concentrated in coastal counties. Many millions 

 more visit the seashore — for swimming, boating, fishing, and relaxation, and 

 coastal terraces of our sprawling urban areas have become the hub of many 

 of our commercial and private endeavors. 



Maritime shipping continues to intensify off our coasts — with a grow- 

 ing demand for expanded port, harbor, and navigation facilities. As inter- 

 national commerce grows at an ever increasing rate, the world's maritime 

 industry is called upon to continue to accommodate the bulk of our foreign 

 trade. 



Ocean resources are playing a rapidly increasing role in our economic 

 prosperity. Dramatic discoveries of promising new oil and gas fields off 

 Alaska, California, and the Gulf Coast are certain to make major contri- 

 butions to our economy. We have become the world's most lucrative market 

 for fishing products. Also, hundreds of our small coastal communities depend 

 heavily on a healthy fishing industry. 



It is in the oceans that many of the expanding national interests of more 

 than 100 coastal nations converge as they move farther from their 

 coasts in the conduct of maritime and naval activities and in the search for 



