Assistance to Developing Countries in Marine Science 

 and Technology 



The Agency for International Development (AID) did not initiate 

 any new marine programs of significance during the past year. 

 Modest supplementary funds were provided to NOAA's National 

 Oceanographic Data Center to conclude the AID-funded 

 collaborative program with UNESCO to train developing country 

 marine scientists in ocean data acquisition, processing, and 

 utilization. Twenty-three trainees from sixteen developing countries 

 completed the course. As the demand remains high for this mutually 

 beneficial program, it will be reestablished for at least one year more 

 under funding from the Office for the International Decade of Ocean 

 Exploration within the National Science Foundation. 



A policy determination was recently made that the National 

 Oceanographic Instrumentation Center of NOAA would provide 

 advisory services to both developing and developed countries in 

 matters relating to instrument calibration, testing, and testing 

 facilities, and, on a cost-reimbursable basis, provide as feasible 

 actual calibration and testing services, including training. The 

 United States recently made available to the Intergovernmental 

 Oceanographic Commission 100 mechanical bathythermographs for 

 distribution to developing countries. An IOC working group has 

 recommended that other nations follow suit. 



In response to repeated requests by the CICAR countries for 

 opportunities for their marine scientists and students to obtain at- 

 sea training, NOAA planned and carried out NOAA-Carib. The 

 cruise extended from October 9 to December 15, 1972, and included 

 cooperative work with scientists and students from Mexico, 

 Jamaica, Puerto Rico, Trinidad and Tobago, Venezuela, and 

 Colombia, plus one man each from the Netherlands Antilles and 

 France. NOAA-Carib was set up to accomplish research work 

 planned completely by the participating nations. Participating 

 scientists from each country decided what research work would be 

 done, where it would be accomplished, and which of their own 

 people would take part. 



In addition to the actual research work at sea, the major port stop 

 in each country included a one-day education and training cruise for 

 50 to 60 students. A total of 401 Latin-American scientists and 

 students received at-sea training aboard the Discoverer during 

 NOAA-Carib for periods ranging from one day to two weeks. 



Through arrangements made with the U.S. Navy, 23 reconditioned 

 and calibrated mechanical bathythermographs were provided to the 

 NOAA ship Discoverer for distribution to the participating Latin- 

 American countries. These were presented to Mexico, Jamaica, 

 Trinidad and Tobago, Venezuela, and Colombia in ceremonies at the 

 end of each one-day cruise. In addition, NOAA's National Marine 

 Fisheries Service provided sets of bongo nets and neuston nets to 

 Colombia and Venezuela so that the results of their plankton 

 sampling will be compatible with those of other CICAR nations by 

 utilizing these standard CICAR nets. 



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