ADVANCEMENT OF MARINE SCIENCES 33 



adopted by the 86th Congress, reflect the intensive study and 

 careful collaboration of distinguished scientists, Government 

 leaders and legislators. The implementation of these care- 

 fully considered programs is essential for their potential 

 benefit to mankind and is mandatory to our national security. 



Mr. James Snodgrass, research engineer for the Scripps Institution 

 of Oceanography, in testimony given at the hearings on S. 901, said : 



Since it appears that at least for a long time in the future 

 oceanographic research will continue to be conducted by a 

 fair number of different organizations and agencies, it would 

 seem obvious that coordination is unperative. I do not 

 mean coordination in the sense of control, but rather to 

 assist in the major function of communication and exchange 

 of information. 



There does not presently exist any mechanism to accom- 

 plish this highly desirable and essential function. Such 

 coordination would certainly reduce often unnecessary ex- 

 perimentation and in the long run make major cost savings. 



Dr. Milner B. Schaefer, also a witness at hearings on S. 901, a 

 member of the Committee on Oceanography and Director of the 

 Inter-American Tropical Tuna Commission, testifying particularly on 

 resources provisions of the bill, asserted: 



Very little attention has been given to the development of 

 unmanned instrument buoys, and practically none to the 

 development of mesoscaphs and other new instrumentation 

 for resources research. No action has been taken on the 

 construction of laboratory facilities for the study of fish 

 behavior or for the critically important studies of the survival 

 of young states of marine organisms. Provisions of per- 

 sonnel to commence biological survej^s of the oceans aboard 

 vessels making cruises for other purposes has been negligible. 



It is my firm opinion that the required program in 

 resources research is not likely to be activated without 

 further stimulation, and I am pleased to note that S. 901 

 authorizes appropriations to the Department of the Interior 

 and other agencies for these purposes, and also provides for 

 proper coordination of the work of the different agencies 

 through a new Division of Marine Sciences of the National 

 Science Foundation, having representation from other 

 agencies concerned. 



Dr. Chapman, in his testimony before the committee at hearings 

 on S. 901, placed strong emphasis on why, in his opinion, the bill 

 should be enacted. He said: 



Heretofore and presently most of the Nation's ocean 

 research facilities and agencies have been scattered through 

 the structure of the executive branch in such fashion that 

 most parts of them are small units in large agencies. Each of 

 them gets starved by having larger entities in the agencies 

 get all or most increases in appropriations. In consequence 

 of this, the whole ocean research establishment of the Nation 

 is undernourished and incompetent for its great tasks. 



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