I would like to call as the first panelist, Dr. Samuel Lawrence, 

 who, as everyone knows, has been Executive Director of the Marine 

 Science Commission. Professionally he received his education at 

 Harvard University, his doctorate at American University in political 

 science. He became associated with the Bureau of the Budget in 1954 

 and remained there until 1967 when he assumed the role as staff 

 director for the Commission. 



That service was broken by a 1-year sabbatical when at Brookings 

 Institution he prepared a book, perhaps his first professional emersion 

 in the sea, this one dealing with the U.S. Merchant Marine. It must 

 be something of a labor of love because Sam, after leaving the Com- 

 mission has returned to the Merchant Marine, and he is well on the 

 way with his second book. 



STATEMENT OF DE. SAMUEL A. LAWRENCE, EORMER EXECrTIVE 

 DIRECTOR, COMMISSION ON MARINE SCIENCE, ENGINEERING, 

 AND RESOURCES 



Dr. Lawrence. Thank you very much. It is good to be with you 

 today to report the work of the Stratton Commission. I think we are 

 now entering a period of the conference when we really are going to 

 have some dialog. Both John Knauss and myself have designed our 

 remarks to be very brief * * * sufficient, we hope, to introduce those 

 who have not already been thoroughly familiarized with the Com- 

 mission materials to know what the background has been for these 

 conferences and the problems which you are going to be discussing 

 here. 



We do want to have time so that there really will be some discus- 

 sion and some questions. 



It is always a pleasure for one who has been associated with an 

 effort to see the recommendations emerging from it brought forward 

 for public debate and action. There has been a great deal of action in 

 the past several months when the commission filed its report with 

 the Congress and the President. Draft legislation is now before the 

 appropriate committees and subcommittees of both Houses of Con- 

 gress; the administration only a week ago has announced its inten- 

 tion to take action through coastal zone management to support the 

 creation of the coastal zone laboratories and move ahead with a pilot 

 project for the restoration of the Great Lakes and I expect I may want 

 to comment a little more on that mj^self . 



At a recent Governors' Conference, I understand that a resolution 

 was passed that there should be a marine States association vrhich 

 would provide a vehicle at the State level in considering mutual co- 

 ordinating activities. Now we have this very useful formn provided 

 by the Committee on Merchant Marine and Fisheries, the Subcommit- 

 tee on Oceanography. 



This gathering momentum of concern reflects very real and growing 

 problems which vitally affect the people of our coastal States and 

 indeed the entire Nation. You know them well. They include the 

 urgent need to halt the deterioration of our Great Lakes and estuaries, 

 provide more adequate seaside recreational opportunities, improve our 

 ports, accommodate expanding industries seeking shoreline space, 

 capitalize on opportunities to make more effective use of the water- 



