218 



The. Coast Guard, which originated 

 as an agermy to enforce customs 

 and immigration laws, is the 

 Government's marine enforcement 

 agency. Here the cutter Storis is 

 seen overtaking and seizing a 

 Soviet shrimp trawler operating 

 within the U.S. fishery contiguous 

 zone off the Aleutian Islands in 

 1967. 



enforcement functions. The States also en- 

 force regulations pertaining to the use of 

 State waters for boating, diving, and other 

 aquatic activities. Some do a good job ; others 

 leave much to be desired. 



As ocean activities intensify and the regula- 

 tions to govern them become more elaborate, 

 law enforcement may be expected to become 

 a major problem. 



The Commission recommends that the 

 National Oceanic and Atmospheric 

 Agency (CG) have primary responsibility 

 for Federal marine law enforcement. The 

 States should review the effectiveness of 

 their marine law enforcement and take 

 necessary steps to ensure adequately 

 staffed and equipped professional enforce- 

 ment organizations. 



Data Services 



Oceanographic data are collected at great 

 e.xpense and with great difficulty by the 



Federal Government, i:)rivate institutions, 

 and foreign governments. All users of the 

 seas and the scientific community look to the 

 Federal Government to establish and main- 

 tain appropriate data centers for the storage 

 retrieval, and dissemination of such data, in- 

 cluding measurements of the physical and 

 chemical states of the oceans and atmosphei-e, 

 as well as geological and biological samples 

 not readily amenable to numerical storage in 

 computer systems. 



There is no coordinated system of data 

 centers for storing and retrieving oceano- 

 graphic data. Unless such a system can be 

 established quickly, the agencies literally 

 may be overwhelmed by the volumes of new 

 data generated by expanded research pro- 

 grams and the increased use of continuous; 

 sensing and recording devices on research and 

 survey vessels, buoys, submersibles, and 

 satellites. 



A major study is underway to determine 

 the needs for marine data, to appraise cur- 

 rent data handling, and to propose action to 

 process more efficiently the data to be gener- 

 ated in the future. This study, initiated by 

 the National Council on Marine Resources 

 and Engineering Development, is scheduled 

 for completion in 1969. In view of this study, 

 the Commission has not undertaken to pre- 

 pare a detailed proposal for national marine 

 data service activities. 



At present, a number of centers handle en- 

 vironmental data and specimens, including 

 the National Oceanographic Data Center 

 (NODC), the National "Weather Records 

 Center (NWRC), and the Smithsonian 

 Oceanographic Sorting Center (SOSC). In 

 addition, there are a number of geophysical 

 data repositories for information such as 

 magnetic, gravity, and geodetic information 

 and bathymetry which provide essential in- 

 formation for marine activities. In the sec- 

 tions that follow, the Commission has dis- 



