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teria found in deep sea vents have been commercialized for use in laboratories and 

 may be used in other high temperature applications, such as laundry detergents. 



Pharmaceuticals and diagnostics: Considerable effort is being directed to search- 

 ing for pharmaceuticals from the marine environment. Encouraging results in this 

 area include an analgesic and antiinflammatory agent isolated from a marine 

 sponge, an anticancer drug from a sea squirt, didemnin B, that is now in clinical 

 trials, and a new class of antibiotics, the aplasmomycins, that are active against 

 bacteria and the causative agent of malaria. Diagnostics continue to be sought, with 

 one of the most successful marine biotechnological products being the extract from 

 the blood of the horseshoe crab (Limulus) that is used as a test for endotoxin. 



Aquaculture and Seafood Safety: With a 1989 trade deficit of $4.9 billion in fish- 

 eries products in the United States, it is clear that a market exists for seafood prod- 

 ucts that our producers are unable to meet. Enhancement of marine aquaculture 

 using biotechnology is one way to help meet some of that demand. For example, the 

 use of growth hormone with freshwater fish has led to remarkable increases in their 

 growth rates. The breeding of a triploid strain of oysters now allows year-round oys- 

 ter production, rather than just seasonal production. The development of new vac- 

 cines against fish and shellfish diseases will enable greater cultivation of commer- 

 cially important species. As Americans continue to eat progressively more seafood 

 each year (one estimate by the Department of Commerce projects that U.S. seafood 

 consumption could grow 40 percent by the year 2000), the safety of that seafood will 

 be of paramount concern to the public. Marine biotechnology offers sophisticated 

 tests that will enable assays for ciguatoxin, a poison, in fish and Vibrio cholerae, 

 the causative agent of cholera, in oysters. Others are in development to enable us 

 to test for contaminated products and to learn more about the levels of toxins and 

 how they enter the organisms. 



Bioremediation: Improved methods to cleanup the marine environment following 

 oil spills and the discharge of industrial and domestic wastes is another important 

 application of marine biotechnology. The systematic screening of naturally occurring 

 microorganisms or the enhancement of desired traits through genetic manipulation 

 of the microorganisms hold great promise for environmental cleanup by the orga- 

 nisms, rather than through chemical means. Most prominently featured has been 

 the effort to develop "super bugs" that attack and breakdown oil, but bacteria are 

 also able to remove toxic metals and metabolize other industrial wastes. 



Understanding of the Oceans: The products of biotechnology have significant com- 

 mercial applications. They will also be important as scientific tools that will enable 

 us to learn more about marine life and the ocean environment. Genetic probes that 

 allow us to track specific populations of organisms, such as salmon stocks, can tell 

 us a great deal about the movement and origin of the organisms and the waters 

 in which they are found. We will be able, through increased understanding of the 

 biology of microorganisms, to learn more about the cycling and consumption of many 

 important elements and compounds including carbon dioxide, nitrogen, and phos- 

 phorus. 



Few people would argue against the vast potential of marine biotechnology. The 

 opportunities that exist though will not be realized if the field continues to be so 

 woefully underfunded. 



For example, biotechnology is by far the largest interagency initiative in the Fed- 

 eral Coordinating Council for Science, Engineering and Technology (FCCSET) proc- 

 ess, at more than $4 billion in the President's budget request for FY 1994. However, 

 marine biotechnology is a neglected stepchild in this process. Only about 1 percent 

 of this initiative is for marine biotechnology research at universities and public re- 

 search centers, where the greatest advances are being made. Total funding for ma- 

 rine biotechnology has been virtually flat since 1988. 



The lack of attention in the U.S. also stands in sharp contrast to the high level 

 of interest being shown in other countries. Japan in particular has embarked on a 

 forward-looking investment strategy in which industry and government have agreed 

 to provide nearly $200 million for marine biotechnology in a decade-long program 

 under the auspices of the Ministry of International Trade and Industry (MITI). In 

 addition to this focused initiative, it is estimated that Japan spends between $900 

 million and $1 billion per year in marine biotechnology. We are seeing similarly 

 strong commitments throughout the Pacific Rim, many of which are based on tech- 

 nologies pioneered in the US. 



While the U.S. is currently the world leader in marine biotechnology, we will not 

 retain this lead for long if we fail to respond to the competitive challenge we face. 

 The U.S. simply cannot expect to survive in the global economy if we consistently 

 allow foreign competitors to capitalize on technologies that the U.S. taxpayer has 

 funded. It is essential to promote mechanisms for technology transfer together with 

 partnerships between industry, academia, and the government to enable U.S. firms 



