Species Conservation Act of 1972") will strengthen the Departments of 

 Commerce and the Interior in their efforts on behalf of threatened forms of 

 fish and wildlife. It will provide earlier identification for endangered species 

 and authorize that protective action be taken before a species becomes so 

 depleted that its revival is difficult or impossible. Most important, this legis- 

 lation will make the taking of endangered species a Federal offense. Other 

 pending legislation includes bills to establish a fund for endangered wildlife 

 and to implement the intent of the Convention on Nature Protection and 

 Wildlife Preserv^ation in the Western Hemisphere. 



With the addition of the Farallon Islands and San Pablo National Wild- 

 life Refuges, the BSFW administers 91 coastal, island, and estuarine areas 

 with over 2,500 miles of shoreline and 20.5 million acres of land and water 

 for the protection of fish, wildlife, and recreational values. Among the better 

 known is the Aransas National Wildlife Refuge, Tex., which provides the 

 winter home for the endangered whooping crane. During 1971, a research 

 program was initiated with Texas A&M University on the effects of silta- 

 tion, sediment drift, and water turbidity on the ecology of San Antonio Bay, 

 which adjoins this refuge. 



Nonliving Resources 



In his Energy Policy Statement, submitted to the Congress in June 1971, 

 the President noted a need for "acceleration of oil and gas leasing on the 

 Outer Continental Shelf, along with stringent controls to protect the en- 

 vironment." This need was evident in the widespread restrictions on new 

 uses of gas, one of our cleanest energy sources, and by substantial increases 

 in oil imports, which now contribute more than 25 percent of this Nation's 

 requirements and are becoming a significant component of the current un- 

 favorable balance of trade. 



There is also a need for other nonliving marine resources. For example, 

 available onshore reserves of sand and gravel in the Boston, Mass., New 

 York City, and other eastern megalopolis areas are rapidly being depleted by 

 a combination of heavy demands and land-use competition. Offshore reserves 

 of these important commodities appear large enough to warrant major co- 

 operative efforts of the coastal States, the sand and gravel industry, and Fed- 

 eral agencies to develop and extract them. 



Also quite real is the prospect of mining such strategic minerals as 

 manganese from the ocean floor. Investigations of deepwater dredging units 

 and remote-sensing methods of discovering new mineral deposits are con- 

 tinuing. At the same time, there are strong efforts going forward to soften 

 the impact of mining activities on marine life and the environment, and 

 there is Federal emphasis on developing new freshwater supplies to meet the 

 growing demands of coastal urban areas and industry. 



Geologic Investigations and Mineral Resource Appraisal 



Approximately 11 percent of domestic oil production now comes from 

 wells on public lands of the Outer Continental Shelf, with output expected to 

 increase to as much as 30 percent by 1980. During 1970, the value of this 



39 



