Chapter VI 



ACCELERATING USE OF FOOD FROM 

 THE SEA 



The United States has an important stake in furthering development of 

 the sea's food resources. The fishing industry can contribute to domestic 

 and international economic development, provide employment, conduct 

 research to assist in using the oceans more efTectively, and provide food for 

 combating hunger and malnutrition in the Nation and the world. 



The world's rapidly increasing population portends an urgent need for 

 increased supplies of food from all sources. By the year 2000 — one genera- 

 tion from now — more than 6 billion people will be competing for the 

 earth's food and resources. Already many developing areas of the world are 

 critically short of animal protein. 



The living resources of the sea can contribute importantly to meeting 

 a part of the worldwide need for animal protein. The present harvest of 

 the ocean is roughly 64 million tons annually. Seafood production is one 

 of the few major foodstuffs increasing faster than population growth. The 

 Food and Agriculture Organization estimates indicate that a well-managed 

 world fishery could yield three to five times the current output. Large quanti- 

 ties of the unutilized living marine resources lie off our own coasts and 

 the coasts of many protein-deficient countries. The world fish catch, major 

 areas of resources potential, and protein deficiency are indicated in figure 

 VI-1. 



The Marine Sciences Act calls for rehabilitating our commercial fisheries, 

 as part of a national policy for marine science. The act also states that U.S. 

 marine science activities should be conducted so as to contribute to a variety 

 of objectives, including accelerating marine resource development and 

 fostering international cooperation in the national interest. One of the 

 first initiatives taken under the act was to seek to use U.S. technology and 

 leadership to develop food from the sea to help feed the undernourished 

 people of the world. 



The U.S. Fishing industry 



The United States has extensive coastal areas inhabited by large varieties 

 and quantities of potentially valuable fish and shellfish. The Bureau of Com- 

 mercial Fisheries estimates these areas could yield nearly 20 million tons 

 annually, or six to seven times the current production. Yet today our fisher- 



83 



Menhaden purse seiners — members of the 

 Nation's fishing industry — load their catch off 

 Southport, N.C. 



