86 



hiirden other segments of the domestic econ- 

 omy 01- provoke retaliatory action by other 

 nations. In the long run, actions that 

 strengthen the Nation's industrial base and 

 productivity will also strengthen its defense 

 capacity. 



Nor is the need to improve the U.S. balance 

 of payments a proper guide for long-range 

 programs affecting marine resources. That 

 need must be viewed in terms of the overall 

 pattern of commodity and service trade, 

 financial transactions, and international 

 commitments. Piecemeal substitution of do- 

 mestic production for imports simply reverts 

 to the costly jDolicy of self-sufficiency. 



The Federal Government bears respon- 

 sibility for negotiating international legal 

 frameworks within which all nations may 

 share equitably in using the sea's resources. 

 Such arrangements may also have critical 

 unpact on efficiency of resource use. The 

 United States has much to offer other nations 

 in providing more effective techniques for 

 tapping the sea's resources and will need 

 their help in implementing international 

 programs to permit all nations to use the 

 sea to their benefit. 



Government also bears a responsibility for 

 establishing a framework of domestic law 

 to undergird our private enterprise system. 

 Currently many marine resources are treated 

 as common property, available to all for the 

 taking but exclusively available to no one. 

 The common property system is no obstacle 

 to economic development if resources are 

 abundant, technology simple, and invest- 

 ment minimal. But it is not appropriate for 

 large-scale industrial activities in a highly 

 technological, mobile, and capital intensive 

 economy, and it is slowly yielding to arrange- 

 ments to assign resource development rights. 



In sum, the national interest in resources 

 and their development place a premium on 

 having a range of sources to which the 



Nation may turn. The leadtime to appraise 

 and define resources for future use and to 

 develop the necessary industrial organization 

 and technology demands forward planning. 

 A global perspective and a high measure of 

 reliance on private enterprise are necessary 

 to assure flexibility and efficiency in meeting 

 resource demands within the discipline of the 

 market system. 



II. Development of the Sea's 

 Living Resources 



The living creatures of the sea have served 

 man since the dawn of history. Today's re- 

 newed thrust seaward for food, for raw mate- 

 rials, and for drugs is an extension of ancient 

 practices which today assumes new impor- 

 tance with the growth in population and 

 improvements in ships and gear that bring 

 the world oceans within the reach of all 

 major fishing nations. The extension of na- 

 tional fisheries beyond traditional grounds, 

 made necessary by demands for food, have 

 brought new problems to the international 

 community. 



Among the harvests of the sea, those of liv- 

 ing resources must have a primary place in a 

 plan for marine development. 



Marine Fisheries 



Our Nation has a strong interest in ad- 

 vancing development of the sea's food re- 

 sources. The race between population and 

 food supply has potentially explosive conse- 

 quences; every avenue must be employed to 

 control this race. The living resources of the 

 sea are relatively cheap in many parts of the 

 world; they frequently are marketable with 

 very little expensive processing and market- 

 ing equipment, and the development of local 

 fishing industries can, in many cases, be 

 achieved at low cost. 



