support is directed towards gaining a better understanding of 

 fisheries resources. 



Programs underway include studies of the ecology of fish 

 communities in Norfolk Canyon and the adjacent continental slope, 

 the community structure and reproductive biology of benthic fish 

 populations of the Tongue-of-the-Ocean, the analysis and 

 monitoring of kelp-bed communities, the prevention and control of 

 microsporidian parasites in flounder, and primary production and 

 clupeid standing stock in the Northern Adriatic Sea. In addition, 

 several programs are providing information concerning the fish 

 populations inhabiting the abyssal zone of the deep sea. 



Two programs currently funded are investigating conflicting 

 theories concerning the migratory behavior of Atlantic sea turtle^. 

 One theory maintains that complex navigational mechanisms are 

 utilized by the turtles; the other theory contends that migration is 

 passive, drifting with ocean currents. 



Research at both Duke and Louisiana State University is aimed at 

 understanding the life history, viability, and transmission 

 mechanisms of the protozoan parasites that regularly infest the blue 

 crab populations. Several projects involving studies of the 

 physiology of and energy flow through plant communities have 

 direct relevance for major living resources, e.g., the surfone diatoms 

 of coastal Washington (a major food of the razor clam) and the 

 eastern coast salt marshes (feeding grounds for numerous fish, 

 crustaceans and molluscs). The physiological adaptations of marine 

 mammals, such as sea lions, dolphins, harbor seals, and elephant 

 seals, exposed to various environmental conditions and dietary 

 regimes are also being studied. 



RECREATIONAL MARINE FISHERIES 



The Marine Game Fish Research Program began in the Department 

 of the Interior, with the enactment of the Migratory Marine Game 

 Fish Act of 1959. This act provided for a broad program of research 

 into problems affecting the health and future of the Nation's 

 saltwater game fish populations. Later this program was transferred 

 to NOAA. The importance of the program is illustrated by the fact 

 that the number of saltwater anglers increased from about 4 million 

 in 1959 to 9.4 million in 1970. 



Game fish research includes studies to determine the life histories, 

 population size, and the effect of harvesting. It was recognized that 

 no animal can exist without a healthy environment. Consequently, 

 the program includes environmental studies as well as attempts to 

 develop methods for habitat management. The resolution of 

 problems related to the allocation of scarce species and the extent to 

 which a particular species might be harvested depends upon getting 



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