47 



Mr. Silva. In terms of jobs, it is beyond the numbers that we 

 know of. 



Senator Kerry. Well, how many people would be involved in 

 processing 



Mr. Silva. It is not just that, Senator. 



Senator Kerry. What kind of sales do you think it would have? 



Mr. Silva. Hundreds of millions. It is not just that we are talk- 

 ing about. The start of a whole new industry, that is what we are 

 talking about. The marine biotechnology as an industry, it is in its 

 infancy. The seeds were planted by people like Senator Pell years 

 ago, and we cannot even identify the compounds that are there in 

 the sea. 



Senator Kerry. How would you proceed? We have learned 

 through deforestation and dessertification and other kinds of 

 human-induced problems, that we can upset the ecosystem. I would 

 assume that the science is not ready to predict the implications of 

 massive use of such marine products. How do you balance the eco- 

 logical concerns? 



The same sort of balance is required that is necessary for the 

 harvest of any other fish or marine resource. And I understand 

 that. But if you move off into suddenly providing something, 

 masses of phytoplankton, krill, various seaweeds, or whatever, and 

 then start to harvest it in greater amounts than we are today, 

 what happens to the overall balance? We do not really know the 

 answer to that, do we? 



Mr. Silva. No, you are correct. And it needs to be studied. But 

 I think that — I will give you an example. We went to look to ac- 

 quire a company that was outside the Beltway in Washington one 

 time. And I was in there to talk to this man, and on the board was 

 a little thing about deuterated products. And I said, "What is 

 deuterated products?" And he said, "Well, we have taken algae and 

 we have grown them in heavy water." And he said, "But we cannot 

 sell you this technology or the patents or anything else because the 

 Department of Defense is using it." And I said, "Well, what for?" 

 You know, growing algae in heavy water, what is the point of this? 

 And he said, "Well, it is synthetic oil." And he said, "It is synthetic 

 oil that is so strong that they put it in jet fighters and they get, 

 for the same engine and everything else, 25 percent further dis- 

 tance on the same engine because it can burn hotter." 



So, I mean here is a man who is an algae specialist and he is 

 working in an area no one could foresee. He has opened up a whole 

 entire new industry. At that time, you know, the DOD had it under 

 lock and key and he probably should not have been talking to me 

 about it. But it is difficult to say what figures. 



Senator Kerry. No, I think you have shown us your enthusiasm 

 and your passion about it, which is important. And I think you 

 have described a good picture of the possibilities. 



Dr. Burris, what do you say to what Mr. Silva is saying? What 

 is your reaction? 



Dr. Burris. Well, I will confess to a certain personal ignorance 

 about how the omega oils will get into the chickens. Obviously, 

 they have been discussed as very important and, in fact, have 

 fueled a lot of the demand for the fish products when it first came 



