MARINE SCIENCE 153 
(Whereupon, at 12:40 p.m. the committee recessed subject to call 
of the Chair.) 
(The following information was subsequently submitted for the 
record :) 
STATEMENT BY WILLIAM J. Hargis, Jx., Pu. D., Director, VIRGINIA FISHERIES 
LABORATORY, PROFESSOR AND HEAD, DEPARTMENT OF MARINE SCIENCE, COLLEGE 
OF WILLIAM AND Mary, GLOUCESTER POINT, VA. 
By way of a preliminary statement, which is probably not really needed in 
this eminent group, I am sure most thoughtful people are aware of the impor- 
tance of the oceans and their estuaries to society and its economy. At least I am 
sure they should be. 
Some of the ways that the seas impinge on man and his land are— 
(1) All, or almost all, the earth’s water comes from and goes to the sea. 
(2) Much of the earth’s soil, with its chemicals, wash into the sea or was 
once under the sea. 
(3) Life originated in the sea and much of the diversity of life evolved 
and still lives there. In addition, a great deal of this life is useful for food. 
(4) Much weather originates over the sea. 
(5) Seaborne commerce is vital. It is useful to industry. 
(6) Seaborne military weapons are important. 
(7) Seashores are extremely important sites for location of communities 
and industry. 
(8) The sea and seashore are very useful as sites for recreation. 
It is thus apparent that many depend on the sea at this time. This dependence 
is increasing. For instance, man will be driven to the sea for more food and 
water. He will need information to be able to wrest these basic necessities 
from her. 
Despite great present and future needs, man is despoiling the oceans and 
estuaries at an ever-increasing rate. For example, pollution, e.g., radioactive 
wastes, industrial wastes, domestic wastes, soil, farm and house pesticides; 
engineering projects, e.g., dams, channels, marsh fill and draininge; and, over- 
exploitation, e.g., overfishing, excessive water use, are wreaking their havoc. 
Baldly, bluntly, the future of society depends on man’s not ruining the sea. But 
pressures to do so are increasing as a result of the population explosion and the 
eoncomitant industrial explosion. We must not foul the spring from which we 
will have to drink. Wemust make wise use of our marine resources. This calls 
for knowledge—knowledge demands research. Greater research must be carried 
out. There is urgency for getting this work done because the race to wrest facts 
from the sea is slow and we fall behind more rapidly all the time. Thus, there is 
urgency—egreat urgency. 
Because the urgent need for facts demands much additional effort in research, 
more research people will be needed. This in turn calls for the training of addi- 
tional scientists. 
All of this requires much greater financial support from the Federal Govern- 
ment than is now available. Senate bills 2692 (1960) and 901 (1961) are 
designed to provide this support. 
I thought that S. 2692 was a good bill, I am certain that 8S. 901 is better. There- 
fore, I wish to be counted as supporting S. 901 and strongly urging its approval. 
The bill is well thought out and framed. There are only a few places where 
emendations should be made if the committee thinks it advisable to do so. 
These are— 
(1) Page 8, line 3: “six” should be changed to read “eight.” This is 
designed to give a more adequate representation of non-Federal agencies. 
Also, in this regard perhaps the chairman of this committee should be elected 
by the committee? 
(2) Page 8, line 21: If NSF was intended to contribute significantly to the 
shipbuilding program, the sum of $9,950,000 is clearly inadequate. As an 
illustration, a 1,200-ton ship will cost between 5 and 6 million now as against 
the Woods Hole estimate (1959) of 4.5 million. May I suggest 20 to 25 
million for building NSF-supported ships. 
(3) The money for maintenance and support of these ships should be 
revised upward. This is a vital and necessary item in order that the ships 
will be adequately used. 
