atmospheric energy to drive the artificial upwelling which-is desired, 
and (6) control of the amount of nutrients delivered so desirable phyto- 
plankton are produced, and so that excess production of organic matter 
does not exceed the carrying capacity of the environment, specifically 
for oxygen, causing mass mortality of marine life (see sec. 6.4). 
Some of the most appealing opportunities for aquiculture exist in 
our estuaries and coastal waters, regions which are most accessible and 
amenable to control and management. Unfortunately, in places these 
waters are being overfertilized from nutrients in sewage discharge. 
Regulation and control of such nutrients, to the same extent as that re- 
quired in any deliberate fertilization practice, could potentially trans- 
form what is now a public health hazard and a national disgrace into 
the opportunity for production of valuable marine products (see sec. 
3.4). 
In view of the obvious need for more protein to feed the world 
population, the Panel recommends that attempts be made to augment 
the food supply through marine aquiculture. This recommendation 
is made with the full realization that little of the necessary technologi- 
cal knowledge is currently available, but the dire need for increased 
protein production in the world, nevertheless, argues strongly that we 
should encourage the development of a strong research program that 
will be needed for effective aquiculture. At this time the U.S. effort 
in marine aquicultural research is essentially nonexistent except for 
limited studies on oysters, clams, and shrimp. 
Current Attempts at Aquiculture. Japan is the current world 
leader in marine aquiculture. Its efforts have been directed to pro- 
duction of organisms with a high market value such as fish, shrimp, 
and shellfish, including oysters for pearl culture, and have not at- 
tempted to produce low-cost food. Japan’s success is indicated by 
the data in table 2.3. Limited experiments on farming the sea in 
Scottish lochs have indicated that fish production can be increased by 
fertilization, in some cases as much as 16 to 18 times. However, the 
scale of these experiments was relatively small. The yields of fish 
grown in unfertilized ponds in different areas of the earth are similar 
to cattle and swine production. If the waters are fertilized, the yields 
of fish are much greater (table 2.4) and are comparable with yields 
obtained from converting agricultural crops into domestic livestock. 
Oysters, Clams, and Other Phytoplankton Feeders. Because en- 
ergy is lost at each step in the food chain (i.e., not all of the food eaten 
is transformed into new, living material), it is evident that animals 
which feed directly on phytoplankton are most promising as efficient 
protein producers. Oysters, clams, and other shellfish are such phyto- 
plankton feeders. 
Oyster culture was started in Japan and in France 300 and 100 
years ago, respectively. It involves finding suitable spawning and 
it 
