114 SEA GRANT COLLEGES 



will be needed to provide the kind of offering exemplified by the agricultural 

 college, but I feel it is short sighted to suggest that this latter type of institution 

 is the only kind in need of support. It would deny the value of what we already 

 have. Instead, we should try to improve and augment those already in existence. 



While the term "sea-grant university" has an appeal, it does not describe 

 the program as it was proposed at the conference. The term also carries some 

 difficult connotations with respect to distribution of funds. It at least suggests 

 distribution of support, not on a regional basis - but on a national one. 



GEORGE A, ROUNSEFELL, Professor of Marine Biology, University of Alabama 



The sea- grant university is an interesting concept and especially so in 

 light of the facts that we have slipped from second place to fifth place in world 

 fisheries, and need the mineral resources of the seas. Moreover, it even be- 

 comes urgent, when we consider the need of the world for additional protein to 

 buy time for adjustments in human populations. 



The sheer enormity of the problems in studying the seas dictates the need 

 for a wide variety of programs among universities. Under the land-grant pro- 

 gram some universities specialized in horticulture, some in livestock, and still 

 others in agricultural engineering or entomology. Similarly, intelligent exploita- 

 tion of the seas calls for work in mamy areas and disciplines, each in varying 

 degree consistent with both local and national needs. Several universities already 

 possess considerable capabilities in the oceanography of the high seas, for in- 

 stance, and it would seem unwise for too many universities to attempt to work 

 in this area which requires such enormous outlays in ships, technical personnel, 

 and operating expense. The University of Alabama is attempting to meet its 

 own requirements for any deep sea ventures in conjunction with the Gulf Marine 

 Research Association. This association of universities and marine laboratories, 

 formed recently to aid marine research effort through cooperation in use of 

 facilities, presently has members in Alabama, Mississippi, and 'Louisiana. 



In view of the above, I hope any pending legislation will allow for consid- 

 erable latitude. 



Our specific concerns cover three main points: First, the situation in the 

 Gulf is vastly different than in the Northeast, or in the Pacific. Over 20 per cent 

 of the catch by United States fishermen is taken along a stretch of scarcely 300 

 miles of the northern Gulf. Over 95 per cent of the species now harvested are 

 dependent on the shallow protected bays and estuaries during all or a part of 

 their lives. The preservation of this rich environment in the face of pollution 

 and engineering projects engendered by burgeoning industrial development is 

 one of our chief concerns. 



A second concern is the obsolesence of our fishing fleet which now fishes 

 only the shallow inner portion of our wide continental shelf. We must build new 

 vessels capable of using modern gear and fishing both the deeper waters, and 

 the vast schools of herring- like fishes not now being tapped. The kinds of ves- 

 sels needed will require operators skilled in electronics, navigation, and mechan- 

 ical engineering. 



A third concern is the rearing of crustaceans, mollusks, and fishes in our 

 extensive estuaries. Although the possibilities are vast, implementation awaits 

 research on the physiology and nutrition of marine fauna. 



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