SEA GRANT COLLEGES 163 



Union has between 8,000 and 9,000 persons engaged full time in 

 the marine sciences. The Soviets have over 1,500 qualified oceanog- 

 raphers. The United States has less than 1,000 oceanographers, and 

 total marine technology manpower at work full time in this country 

 today numbers less than 3,000 persons. 



The Soviet Union is placing high national priority on ocean tech- 

 nology training and application of marine research. The United 

 States by contrast has just begmi recognizing the importance of this 

 new held. 



The seas represent greater and more immediate economic returns 

 than have yet been found in outer space. The Interior Department, 

 for instance, estimates that this Nation's fish catch could be expanded 

 to five or six times its present level as Senator Kennedy brought out, 

 good news actually for a nation which has slipped, as has been 

 brought before the attention of the committee, to fifth place. 



The Soviets, who rank fourth, are increasing their fish catch by 

 500,000 tons per year and they have made fishing a science, have 

 adopted progressive methods such as fish farming, transplanting mil- 

 lions of salmon eggs and fuigerlings from the Far East to the Bering 

 Sea. 



I was in the Soviet Union in January and this program was dis- 

 cussed with me. Now the Soviets are also transplanting the king 

 crabs which is a very lucrative field, as you know, in the seafood 

 business. 



Each year Americans spend over $500 million on imported fish 

 products. Over 62 percent of this Nation's fish consumption is from 

 foreign producers. In fact, I think w^e can say every other fish in the 

 American frying pan is hnported. 



By developing scientific methods in marine biology and ocean engi- 

 neering through sea grant colleges, this Nation could reap enormous 

 economic benefits from sales of fish at home as well as to hungry and 

 growing populations abroad. 



Further economic returns are to be had for that nation which has 

 the technology to surface precious minerals lying on the ocean floor. 

 Offshore oil drilling by U.S. producers in 1964 brought in 174 million 

 barrels valued at over a half billion dollars. By 1970 it is estimated 

 it should be bringing in about $1.2 billion, double what it is today. 



Manganese ore has been discovered off the U.S. coast, actually in an 

 area just east of the Georgia-Florida State line. This layer has been 

 estimated to be 3 to 4 feet thick and up to 1,900 square miles. Of 

 course, this is vital to the manufacture of steel and related alloys as 

 well as dry cell batteries and is of vital importance to the Soviets as 

 well as the United States which consumes several times as much man- 

 ganese as it produces. 



A sea grant college could be instrumental in developing methods of 

 harvesting this mineral, and a host of other benefits could be realized. 

 My own State of Florida has begun to move in the direction of school- 

 ing yountr minds in the value of the seas. In our State there are four 

 State universities which offer courses in oceanographic and related 

 marine sciences. One private institution, the University of Miami, 

 maintains the Institute of Marine Science, one of the finest in the 

 ^vorld. Florida Atlantic University, the newest of our State institu- 

 tions, is now offering programs in ocean engineering and other applied 

 uses of the seas. 



