on the seabed and ocean floor with a view to 

 defining those factors vital to a workable, 

 verifiable, and effective international agree- 

 ment which would prevent the use of this 

 new environment for the emplacement of 

 weapons of mass destruction. The Commis- 

 sion supports this position, as well as the 

 U.S. proposal that any agreement prohibit- 

 ing the deployment of nuclear and other 

 weapons of mass destruction designed for 

 use on the bed of the seas should be negoti- 

 ated in a broader arms control context and 

 not in relation to devising international ar- 

 rangements for the exploration and exploita- 

 tion of marine resources. 



A Plan for National Action 



Like the oceans themselves, the Nation's 

 marine interests are vast, complex, composed 

 of many critical elements, and not susceptible 

 to simplicity of treatment. Realization and 

 accommodation of the Nation's many diverse 

 interests require a plan for national action 

 and for orderly development of the uses of 

 the sea. The plan must provide for deter- 

 mined attack on immediate problems concur- 

 rently with initiation of a long-range pro- 

 gram to develop knowledge, technology, and 

 a framework of laws and institutions that 

 will lay the foundation for efficient and pro- 

 ductive marine activities in the years ahead. 

 Although the Commission has addressed its 

 proi)osals principally to the Federal Govern- 

 ment, the States, the scientific community, 

 industry, and otliers will need also to exer- 

 cise initiative in their respective areas and 

 participate fully in order that there may be 

 a genuine national effort. 



The Commission has chosen in this report 

 to present its findings and recommendations 

 in chapters that represent primary areas of 

 national emphasis. To mobilize and impart 

 energy to the total undertaking, and in keep- 

 ing with its Congressional mandate, the Com- 



mission recommends the formation of a new, 

 independent Federal agency, which might be 

 called the National Oceanic and Atmospheric 

 Agency ( NO A A ) . The role of this new orga- 

 nization as ^^■ell as its imperative need 

 emerge more clearly with each successive 

 chapter, and a detailed discussion is therefore 

 deferred until near the end of the report.. 



Since a strong, solid base of science and 

 technology is the common denominator for 

 accomplishment in every area of marine in- 

 terest, actions necessary to advance our tech- 

 nical capability are presented at the outset. 

 Then follow chapters on the protection and 

 management of the coastal zones and estu- 

 aries, the development of living and nonliv- 

 ing resources of the sea, and the exploration 

 and monitoring of the total global environ- 

 ment. In Chapter 7 the proposals for 

 strengthening organizations, built upon pro- 

 gram needs, are brought together, and the 

 report concludes with an estimate of costs. 

 The remainder of Chapter 1 provides in brief, 

 narrative form an overview of the total pro- 

 gram proposed by the Commission together 

 with an indication of major recommendations. 



Improving the National Marine Capability 



A full realization of the potential of the 

 sea is presently limited by lack of scientific 

 knowledge and the requisite marine technol- 

 ogy and engineering. 



Marine Science 



Support of basic marine research is vital 

 if we are to understand the global oceans, to 

 predict the behavior of the marine environ- 

 ment, to exploit the sea's resources,, and to 

 assure the national security. 



Marine .science has become "big science," 

 and our efforts are limited by inadequate 

 technology. The Nation is poorly organized 

 to marshal the arrays of mvdtiple ships, 

 buoys, submersibles, special platforms, and 

 aircraft, as well as the complex undersea 



