OCEANOGRAPHY 105 



Mr. Bauer. In other words, as far as your organization is con- 

 cerned, you really need two types of survey operations, one devoted 

 to the motivation of commercial fishes, or sport fishes, and the other 

 with respect to the study of biology and ecology of the sea as it exists; 

 is that right? 



Mr. McKernax. You could call a study of the concentrations of 

 the living resources of the sea a survey if you like, but I would make 

 a broad survey of the ecology and biology of tlie oceans along with 

 the physical and chemical oceanography, and I would then follow 

 this up in promising areas with more concentrated studies by perhaps 

 smaller, or more specialized vessels which could carry two or three 

 or four kinds of fishing gear including nets of various sorts. And 

 that is the way that I would do it. 



Mr. Bauer. In other words, the operation of the Delaware would 

 not be of a survey nature but of an experimental fishing gear type of 

 operation? 



Mr. McKerxan. Right. 



Mr. Bauer. Do we have any such vessels in the service of our 

 country ? 



Mr. ^IcKerxax. We do not have many good vessels. We have used 

 vessels, both ourselves and a number of our oceanographic institu- 

 tions, but I thinlv we are pretty lean on good survey vessels with 

 a good stable platform that can go to sea for a long period of time 

 and cover a large area of the ocean. This is certainly essential to 

 getting started in this direction. I believe that we are Avay behind. 

 Our own eti'orts have been in verj- small, unsatisfactory vessels, some- 

 times risking life and limb actually. 



Mr. Bauer. Are you currently conducting any surveys of pelagic 

 fishes outside of tuna ? 



Mr. McKerxax. We are conducting such work in the Central 

 Pacific and are doing some work on survejang this area for all species 

 of fish, not only tuna. 



Mr. Bauer. With respect to the data center, what would you have 

 in mind as far as data that could be supplied, biological data, to a 

 data center that would be established in the Hydrographic Office as 

 3'ou suggest, or the Coast and Geodetic Survey as thebill suggests ? 



]Mr. McKerxax. All kinds of quantitative biological data, I believe, 

 could be adjusted and put in an electronic data machine. I would 

 be inclined to attempt to see whether or not such things as measure- 

 ments of fish catches from surveys and from more intensive studies, 

 such things as quantitative measures of plankton of various kinds, 

 both quantity and quality of the living resources that we are taking 

 in any kind of a quantitative way would fit themselves readily into 

 such an electronic data center, or system. 



Mr. Bauer. With respect to the survey, do you have any plan how 

 this survey of the ocean should be made? 



Mr. McIvERXAx. We have been giving it some thought. We do not 

 have an}' specific plan but we would hope, of course, to work with the 

 other countries, and, in fact, we are at the present time through both 

 the Xorth Atlantic Connnission of 12 nations and also through the 

 Xorth Pacific Commission carrying on broad oceanographic investi- 

 gations, oceanographic and fisheries investigations which would lend 

 themselves very Avell to a survey type operation. In direct answer 

 to your question I would say in some parts of the ocean we do have 



