OCEANOGRAPHY 107 



Radiation on Oceanography and Fisheries. It is a privilege and a pleasure to 

 have the opportunity to appear before your committee. 



As you know, during the past 21-3 years our Committee on Oceanogi-aphy has 

 reviewed in considerable detail the present status of oceanography, in its broad- 

 est sense, in the United States. We have estimated the needs and the require- 

 ments for additional national support in this held. We have made a number of 

 recommendations for strengthening our national program in the marine sciences 

 during the next 10 years. It is gratifying that the Congress is now considering 

 ways and means of implementing these recommendations. 



One of the imiM)rtant recommendations of the Committee on Oceanography 

 is the need to make comprehensive surveys of the ocean, its boundaries, and 

 its contents. Three-dimensional, oceanwide, ocean deep maps of such features 

 as depth, salinity, temperature, current velocity, turbulence, wave motion, 

 magnetism, and bioloidcal activity are urgently needed for immediate uses (for 

 certain military problems, for the expansion and development of fisheries, for 

 efficient routing of merchant ships, and for the disposal of industrial waste 

 products) and to provide the comprehensive knowledge of the ocean and its 

 contents needed for long-term basic researcli — research which will ultimately 

 yield great benefits to the iieople of our Nation and the rest of the world. The 

 task of making these surveys is large. It can and should be started on a 

 planned, coordinated basis as soon as possible. 



The oceanwide, ocean deep survey will involve many ships, technicians, and 

 scientists from a variety of disciplines. Its efficient execution will require 

 adequate cooperation and coordination among the several governmental agencies 

 having interests and responsibilities in this aspect of oceanography. It will also 

 require a high degree of international coordination since it is envisaged that 

 the United States should undertake only about a third of the worldwide survey. 

 The remainder of the survey would l^ done b.v other maritime nations on a 

 cooperative basis. That this is possible is evidenced by the success of the 

 International Geophysical Year, and by the plans now being formulated for 

 an international stud.v of the Indian Ocean. 



Several means of providing the required interagency coordination within the 

 United States have lieen prop'osed. 11. R. !>o01 and the companion Senate bill 

 S. 2692 propose that a Division of Marine Sciences be established in the National 

 Science Foundation. One possibility is to vest the responsibility for inter- 

 agency coordination of the survey in this new office which would include in 

 its membersliip representatives from the several Government agencies concerned 

 (as well as representatives from universities and other nongovernmental 

 institutions). 



A second proposal, contained in H.R. 10412, 10r>46. and lOoSl, is to create a 

 Coordinating Committee on Oceanographic Surveys with membership from the 

 several Federal agencies dealing with oceanographic problems, reporting both 

 to the President and to the Congress. It is noted that there is no provision 

 for nongovernmental representatives on this Coordinating Committee. Since 

 most of the oceanographic research of the United States and a good deal of 

 survey work is being done and will doubtless continue to be done by imiversi- 

 ties and other nongovernmental institutions, it is my personal opinion that 

 repre.sentation of such organizations would be desirable on any survey coordinat- 

 ing committee. 



Recentl.v a permanent Interagency Committee on Oceanography of the Federal 

 Council on Science and Technology has been established. We understand that 

 this Committee is planning to establish an Ocean Survey AdvLsory Panel in 

 the immediate future. This Panel would have in its membership representa- 

 tives from various Federal agencies concerned with this aspect of oceanography. 

 Provision would be made for c-onsult^tion with the scientific community. It 

 seems to be highly possible that this may provide effective interagency 

 coordination. 



We are pleased to see that both the legislative and executive branches of oiir 

 Government appreciate the need for broad oceanographic surveys and recognize 

 the requirement for effective interagency coordination in their planning, financ- 

 ing, and execution. The particular kind of organization chosen to bruig about 

 this coordination is probably of lesser importance than the establishment of 

 some organization. 



Another aspect of the oceanographic requirements of the United States about 

 which I would like to speak briefiy is the need for a national oceanographic 

 data center to serve adequately all public needs, particularly the civilian re- 

 quirements of governmental agencies, scientific institutions, and individual 

 scientists. 



