Marine Science Affairs 



The Bureau administers the Land and Water Conservation Fund Act of 

 1965 which was amended last year to authorize use of revenues from the 

 Outer Continental Shelf Lands Act to assist in assuring the availability of 

 funds for Federal acquisition of recreational land and for grants to States 

 for outdoor recreation.^ A portion of these funds has been used to acquire 

 land for public recreation within the Coastal Zone. All States have prepared 

 comprehensive Statewide Outdoor Recreation Plans, many of which include 

 provisions for meeting marine-related recreation needs and the preservation 

 of significant coastal areas. Based upon these plans, the Bureau has assisted 

 over 2,000 State and local outdoor recreation projects. 



In recognition that more than 20 million people now participate in recrea- 

 tional boating in coastal waters, the Coast Guard has established an Office 

 of Boating Safety which will emphasize equipment standards and increased 

 Federal-State coordination. Also, the Coast Guard has established a member- 

 ship goal of 100,000 for the Coast Guard Auxiliary by 1973 — a four-fold 

 increase. The Recreational Boating Safety Bill introduced last year reflects 

 concern over the need to protect recreational boating participants while at 

 the same time providing financial assistance to State boating safety programs. 

 Among the research areas of particular concern are boat construction, fuel 

 and ignition systems, operator visibility, and boat stability and load capacity. 

 Also, ESSA provides small craft nautical charts and marine weather forecasts 

 and warnings. 



The activities of the Bureau of Commercial Fisheries in the Coastal Zone 

 provide additional benefits for water-oriented recreation, including sport 

 fishing and hunting, for management of fishery resources, and for con- 

 tributing toward the long-range planning for multi-use development and 

 management of the Coastal Zone. The Bureau assists other Federal agencies 

 and States to assess proposed estuarine alterations to prevent damage to the 

 fishery resources. 



Two recent surveys published by the Bureau of Sport Fisheries and Wild- 

 life illustrate the increasing importance of saltwater sport fishing. During 

 1965, 8.3 million anglers spent $800 million to catch 1.7 million tons of 

 fish. The Bureau's research efTorts in support of sport fishing include bill- 

 fish tagging programs, preparation of an Atlantic marine fish atlas, and 

 studies of predators. 



The design for the National Fisheries Center and Aquarium, to be 

 located in Washington, D.C., has been completed and construction is sched- 

 uled to begin in 1969. 



' P.L. 90-401 authorizes an annual appropriation of $200 million and provides for 

 use of Outer Continental Shelf revenues to make up any diflference between actual 

 appropriations and $200 million. 



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