IV. POLICY FOR CONTROLLING POLLUTION 
Utilization of the ocean’s resources can range between two pro- 
cedures: (1) a haphazard approach leading to gradual dissipation. of 
the ocean’s resources and the degradation of its environment, and (2) 
a planned responsible approach that promotes and conserves the 
resources in an environmentally acceptable schedule. Before the 
impact of increasing population and advancing industrialization and 
technology brought a more general awareness of the effects of pollution 
in the oceans, a haphazard approach to utilizing the ocean resource 
was the custom. The quantities of pollutants added to the oceans by 
man up to a few decades ago were small. The vastness of the oceans 
and the insignificance of man’s ability to alter the marine environ- 
ment seemed certain. Lately, however, measurable quantities of 
pollutants are being found in the oceans, quantities that in some cases 
apparently are increasing at significant rates. 
- The need for formulating effective ocean policies and international 
agreements for the prevention and control of marine pollution is 
becoming more urgent. Internationally accepted regulatory agencies 
organized to control marine pollution are widely urged. Three cate- 
gories of organizations are currently concerned in evolving policies 
for controlling ocean pollution. These ‘are individual national govern- 
ments, intergovernmental organizations, and nongovernmental or- 
ganizations. A number of activities in each of these categories will be 
considered in the following chapters. 
Among the policies and actions that need to be adopted are the 
following: (1) establishing reliable baselines as a starting point for 
determining the extent of marine pollution, (2) determining distribu- 
tion and dispersal mechanisms in the oceans, (3) monitoring changes 
in pollution levels, and (4) assessing data to predict, if possible, the 
extent of pollution likely to affect the marine environment from new 
activities and technologies. 
Baselines 
Baselines need to be determined for many chemical, physical, and 
biological parameters. 
Chemical baselines.—Chemical constituents in the oceans have 
been analysed for several years, but much further work is necessary 
to determine the exact nature of the elements and compounds in- 
volved. Toxic metals can be in the form of dissolved ions, colloids, 
organic complexes, mixed aggregates, crystalline solids, coatings on 
mineral grains, or absorbed or adsorbed into clay minerals. Each 
chemical state reflects a different degree or ability to become mobile 
and taken up into the food chain. Consequently, the fact that a metal 
is found in the environment does not necessarily mean it is a hazardous 
pollutant in its present chemical state. However, a change in chemical 
environment may have a significant effect on some pollutants. For 
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