OCEANOGRAPHY 169 



Mr. Pelly. I am glad you mentioned that point, as to the impor- 

 tance of the basic research. I am sure that this statement tliat you 

 have given us here today will build a record which eventually will 

 be quite important in the report that this committee makes on any 

 legislation that might be necessary in this field. 



Thank you. 



Mr. DiXGELL. Doctor, we certainly want to thank you for a very 

 splendid statement this morning. You have been most helpful to 

 the committee and on behalf of the committee I would like to extend 

 to you our collective thanks for your very fine assistance this morning. 



I would be remiss if I did not tell you how valuable our member 

 of this committee, the Congressman from Washington, Mr. Pelly, is. 

 We are very grateful for your assistance. 



Dr. Rat. Thank you. It is a very great privilege to be here. 



Mr. DiNGELL. The next witness will be Dr. Sidney Galler, biologist, 

 Office of Naval Research. 



Dr. Galler. My colleague, Mrs. Helen Hayes. 



Mr. DixGELL. Doctor, I believe you have a prepared statement? 



Dr. Galler. Yes, sir; I have a prepared statement, Mr. Chairman. 



Mr. Dixgell. Do you want to read it or sunnnarize it ? 



Dr. Galler. I will submit it for the record, if you don't mind, and 

 summarize it briefly. 



Mr. Dixgell. There is absolutely no objection on the part of the 

 committee. We appreciate that very much. 



( The statement follows :) 



Statement by Dr. Sidney R. Galler, Head, Biology Branch, Office of Naval 



Research 



Mr. Chairmen, gentlemen, it is a privilege for me to be asked to appear before 

 you today to discuss the Xavy's research program in hydrobiology and its rela- 

 tionship to the national plans for oceanography and the bills on oceanography 

 pending before this committee. 



My brief statement will be presented in three stages. First, the U.S. Navy's 

 interests and objectives in developing and sponsoring a research program in the 

 field of hydrobiology. Secondly, I wish to present before this subcommittee a 

 resume of the basic scientific disciplines which contribute hydrobiological in- 

 formation of interest not only to the Navy but to many other public and 

 private agencies. Finally, I hope to review for you some of the problems con- 

 fronting hydrobioligists in the United States today which inhibit an optimum 

 utilization of our national scientific resources in this field. 



Hydrobiology, like the closely related field of oceanography, is not a single 

 scientific discipline. It may be defined as a multidisciplinary effort to identify 

 and characterize the biological constituents of marine, estuarine. and fresh- 

 water environments as well as to elucidate the interrelationships of the bio- 

 logical with the physical, chemical, geological, and other features of these 

 environments. 



The Navy programatic interests in this field are of long standing and may 

 be categorized generally as follows : 



(1) Research aimed at the control of organisms which may interfere 

 with the efficient performance of materials, components, equipments, and 

 personnel in the conduct of naval operations ; 



(2) Research aimed at the utilization of organisms and/or the products 

 of organisms in the furtherance of naval operations ; and 



(3) Research aimed at examining biological systems as a basis for the 

 possible improvement of manmade systems with performance capabilities 

 that would enhance naval operations. 



Permit me to refer to the exhibit before you which consists of an artist's 

 conception of examples of the Navy's interests in hydrobiological research. I 

 should state that, although the basic research making up the Xavy's hydro- 

 biology program is almost entirely unclassified, a number of our objectives and 



