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total amount of organic carbon stored as methane in dathrates is 11,000 Gigatons, which is 

 more than double the known reserves of all fossil fuels in the world! Given that dathrates 

 represent such an important potential future energy source, I have been surprised about 

 how little is known about them. I need to mention that the Ocean Drilling Program (ODP) 

 has provided important assistance. ODP, an international effort, led by the United States, 

 is one of the largest and most successful earth sdence programs of this century and 

 certainly the most successful international program. This program forms an important 

 technological internee between Academia and Industry. Resulting data has led to 

 enormous advances in knowledge about how the Earth works, and this is important to the 

 Industrial sector. 



The richness of hydrocarbons in marine sediments of this region of California is well 

 known and results from a particular combination of geological and oceanographic 

 conditions. Because of this, our local natural marine laboratory also provides important 

 opportimities to study processes involved in the formation of hydrocarbons in a modem 

 setting. On the other hand, the local situation also provides unusual opportimities to study 

 the affects of multiple oil production platforms on tiie marine envirorunent. This is a 

 highly contentious issue with little sdentific evidence to sort out fact from fiction! We have 

 programs at UCSB that are studying this problem. These programs are being carried out 

 by groups involving Industry, the University of California, the State of California and the 

 Department of Interior. Such cooperative programs involving universities are dearly 

 productive ventures and we need more of them to obtain useful answers to pressing 

 problems. Because of the historic environmental measures that have had to be taken 

 concerning the local offshore oil platforms, Santa Barbara is now a world center for the 

 export of offshore oil pollution advice and technology. This has developed into a viable 

 commerdal industry in itself. 



Sdentific discoveries by UCSB marine biotechnologists and pharmacologists dviring the last 

 two decades supported by the Sea Grant Program have led to successful technology 

 transfer between the academic and commerdal worlds. One example is the discovery of 

 anti-inflammatory drugs for medical use. Other discoverie have assisted with the 

 development of the abalone aquaculture industry. The discovery of chemical cues that 

 induce spawning and progressive life development (metamorphosis) in abalones have been 

 vital in the development of an economically viable commerdal abalone industry here in 

 Southern California. This developing industry now accounts for revenues of millions of 

 dollars annually. The fishery is also important because of the severe depletion of the wild 

 stocks of abalones at a time of increasing consumer demand. These discoveries represent 

 small but important beginnings towards economical utilization of ocean materials. 



As a result of continued environmental disturbance by hvunan activities, increasing needs 

 exist for determining ways of mitigating adverse effects resulting from anthropogenic 

 activities on coastal marine resources. Environmental degradation leads to resource 

 degradation which in turn can lead to economic degradation. The largest present day 

 commerdal fishery in California is based on red sea urchin gonads. Continued viability of 

 this urchin fishery depends upon healthy kelp production since the urchins feed almost 

 entirely on this algae. Researchers at UCSB continue to investigate kelp biology and have 



