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sistance is needed is the National Project for 

 Continental Shelf Laboratories. Through this 

 project the capability to place man under 

 the sea for useful work, both as a free diver 

 and in a protected environment, can be ad- 

 vanced most rapidly. The research, techno- 

 logical development, and testing of equip- 

 ment and techniques on the continental shelf 

 will provide information and methods for 

 industrial application in many fields. A re- 

 lated need is for a variety of power sources 

 for resource development. The National Proj- 

 ect for a Pilot Continental Shelf Nuclear 

 Plant will help to meet this need and will pro- 

 vide the technology necessary to evaluate the 

 desirability and feasibility of placing large 

 (iuuidreds of megawatts) nuclear stationary 

 ])ower ])lants offshore. Location of large nu- 

 clear plants on the continental shelf would 

 allow valuable shore areas to be available for 

 oMier uses, lessen the possibility of harmful 

 thermal pollution, and provide greater 

 safety. 



Improving U.S. and World Fisheries 



Despite the large volume of oil recovered 

 from the sea and the increasing production 

 of other marine minerals, fisheries remain 

 the largest economic harvest of the oceans. 

 Tlie annual value of the world catch of fish 

 and shellfish is nearly one and one-third that 

 of all other resources and has grown more 

 than 6 per cent a year during the past decades. 



While world fishing has increased, the rela- 

 tive position of our own counti-y has declined. 

 During the past 30 years, landings by U.S. 

 fishermen have remained almost constant; 

 they now account for only 4 per cent of the 

 world catch. At the same time, the United 

 States consumes about 12 per cent of the total 

 catch, making it the world's largest market 

 for fish. Other nations take more fish from 

 traditional U.S. fishing grounds than do 

 U.S. fishermen, who harvest less than one- 

 tenth of the useful sea species available in 



the waters adjacent to our Nation. Except 

 for a few fisheries, like tuna and shrimp, our 

 fishing fleet is technically outmoded. Our 

 fishermen suffer higher unemployment and 

 lower incomes than other workers of com- 

 parable age and skills. 



Though there is no compelling reason why 

 American fishermen should catch all the 

 fish consumed in the United States, major 

 segments of the U.S. fishing industry can be 

 restored to a competitive, profitable position 

 with consequent benefit to the economy. The 

 presence of technologically efficient U.S. ves- 

 sels on the world's fishing grounds also will 

 strengthen the ability of the United States 

 to negotiate for a productive and equitable 

 system to regulate international fisheries. 



The Commission proposes a multiple at- 

 tack on our fisheries problems with scientific 

 research to improve understanding of the re- 

 sources, exploration to determine quantities 

 and locations, technology to develop efficient 

 methods of harvesting and processing, and 

 an improved framework (i.e., principles, 

 rules, procedures, and institutions) that will 

 enable U.S. fisheries to operate competitively 

 without subsidy or protection. 



A Framework for Fisheries Development 



To rehabilitate its domestic fisheries, the 

 Nation must eliminate the overlapping, 

 conflicting, restrictive Federal, State, and 

 local laws which have hampered even those 

 fisheries with sufficient capital and technolog- 

 ical skill to be truly competitive. Protection- 

 ism and parochialism, particularly in State 

 laws, have impeded the development and use 

 of modern fishing technology. Federal sup- 

 port, programs have not served their purpose. 

 It is time for a definitive review and re- 

 structuring of fisheries laws and regulations 

 and creation of a new framework based on 

 national objectives for fisheries development 

 and on the best scientific information. The 



