2 MARINE SCIENCE 
In his message on natural resources which was sent to Congress on 
February 23, it will be recalled that President Kennedy stated that 
by 1980 this Nation would need an additional 3 billion pounds of fish 
and shellfish annually to meet its nutrition needs. That is more than 
a 60-percent increase over our total catch last year of 4,850 million 
pounds. The latest figures for Soviet Russia are for 1959: 6,799 
million, an increase of almost 700 million pounds in 2 years, while 
our own catch has been declining. 
On February 24 I placed in the record a report prepared for me 
by experts in the executive branch of our Government on the Soviet 
fisheries threat. It stated categorically that the U.S.S.R. today 
ossesses the world’s largest and most modern oceangoing fishing 
eet. In tonnage this fleet exceeds ours 5 to 1. 
The report showed also that Soviet Russia 1s operating more fish- 
erles research vessels, more marine laboratories, and is training more 
marine and fisheries biologists than we are. The Russian fishing 
fieet off the Newfoundland Grand Banks is now taking 10 times more 
fish than our own New England fishermen who have fished these 
grounds for over two centuries. A Soviet fishing fleet is operating 
in Bering Sea and Russia is sending well-equipped fisheries research 
vessels deep into the Gulf of Alaska. 
Dr. Richard Van Cleve, dean of the College of Fisheries at the Uni- 
versity of Washington, is alarmed by these incursions on both sides 
of the Nation. He writes me a letter, which I will put in the record in 
full, which states the problem very well. 
It appears that the United States cannot afford to surrender control of the 
fisheries off its coast to Soviet Russia or to any other country. First, because 
of the potential direct threat of the presence of large fleets of foreign fishing 
vessels off our coast; secondly, from the aspect of world production of food. 
It seems hardly sensible for the United States to surrender control’ of marine 
fisheries to Russia since these marine fisheries can be used by Russia to exert 
economie or political pressures on these countries which are dependent upon 
marine fisheries. 
One of Soviet Russia’s targets now is the west coast. of Africa. The 
committee may hear testimony during these hearings on Soviet fish- 
ing activities now underway in the Gulf of Guinea. 
The February Commercial Fisheries Review publishes this item 
from the Soviet Union, and I quote: 
The first of a series of vessels for fishing in the Tropics is now under con- 
struction in the East German Baltic port of Straslund. Over 60 have been 
ordered by the Soviets. Called Tropyk class, they are East German designed, 
282.4 feet overall with a beam of 42.6 feet. They will be equipped with refrig- 
erating plant and used mainly for sardine, herring, and tuna fishing. 
The United States does not have a single fishing vessel that would 
meet that criteria. ; 
One interesting comment in the Government report I mentioned 
above was this: 
Soviet fishing trawlers are in an excellent position for the collection of 
electronics intelligence. 
Fisheries research is only one phase of our oceanographic program. 
Witnesses here today will touch on many broad and vital aspects. 
We will try to divide the hearing up for the next 4 or 5 days in cer- 
tain phases of this whole field of oceanographic research. 
