bioindicator organisms to measure concentrations of chemical pollutants 

 in the field. Byssal thread production by mussels has been shown to be a 

 function of environmental stress; investigations are now in progress to 

 measure correlations between changes in the organism's response and 

 concentrations of various pollutants. 



The office responsible for USN pollution monitoring and surveillance 

 efforts is the Naval Environmental Support Office (NESO) at Point 

 Hueneme, California. NESO acts as executive agent for the Naval En- 

 vironmental Protection Support Service, which has the responsibility for 

 maintaining data on all USN generated pollution, for the purpose of 

 minimizing or when possible, eliminating the pollution in compliance 

 with environmental legislation. 



In addition to its data management function, NESO also provides 

 USN commands with technical assistance in establishing monitoring 

 and surveillance plans, in providing rapid access to specific environmen- 

 tal legislation, and in incorporating environmental protection into 

 developing programs. 



Certain agencies in the Public Health Service of the Department of 

 Health, Education and Welfare support the Federal marine pollution 

 abatement and control effort indirectly in the following manner: 

 Through research aimed at developing an understanding of the factors 

 in the marine environment that have an adverse effect upon human 

 health and the mechanisms through which toxicity is generated; by 

 making the results of that research available to the regulatory agencies. 



L^ ( 



Photo: NOAA 



54 



