122 NATIONAL OCEANOGRAPHIC PROGRAM LEGISLATION 



of the Continental Shelf. Compare this to the situation in space exploration. 

 No one has suggested that there is any economic benefit to be gained from explor- 

 ing the surface of the Moon or Mars. In addition, there are many defense pur- 

 poses to be served by additional activity in the oceans, but there is limited defense 

 interest in any space effort beyond the Moon. The space program has no eco- 

 nomic or substantial military justification. The only justification today is 

 scientific. We must as a matter of national policy reevaluate our allocation of 

 scientific effort to assure a proper balance between space and the oceans, and we 

 must recognize the fact that an increased knowledge of the oceans, more than 

 knowledge of space, can have defense and economic significance. 



INTERNATIONAL LAW 



In addition to recent technological advances affecting ocean resource develop- 

 ment, there have occurred in the past few years significant changes in the law 

 of the sea. These changes resulted from the United Nations Conference on the 

 Law of the Sea, held in Geneva in 1958. The committee is familiar with the four 

 conventions adopted in Geneva, all of which have been ratified by the United 

 States and all of which except the Convention on Fishing and Consei-vation of 

 the Living Resources of the High Seas are in effect. It is anticipated that this 

 remaining Convention on Fishing will become effective the latter part of this 

 year or early next year. 



The two conventions of primary interest in regard to ocean resource develop- 

 ment are the Convention on the Continental Shelf and the Convention on Fishing 

 and Conservation of the Living Resources of the High Seas. The Continental 

 Shelf Convention gives to each coastal nation exclusive rights over the exploita- 

 tion of the resources of its continental shelf. This means that as of last year, 

 when the convention went into effect, the United States increased by one-third 

 the territory over which it held sovereign rights under international law. The 

 area of this shelf acquisition — approximately 1 million square miles — surpasses 

 that of any of our previous territorial acquisitions, including Jefferson's Louisi- 

 ana Purchase. 



The convention defines the shelf as the seabed and subsoil of the submarine 

 area adjacent to the coast to a depth of 200 meters or beyond to a depth which 

 admits of the exploitation of the natural resources of the area. The sovereign 

 right of the United States over territory is therefore related directly to our 

 technological capability to exploit the resources of the Continental Shelf. These 

 exclusive rights relate to mineral and other resources of the seabed (magnesium 

 nodules) and subsoil (oil and gas) and certain living resources dependent on 

 the shelf (clams, oysters, certain crabs). 



The 195S Fishery Convention acknowledges that each coastal nation has a 

 dominant interest in the fishery resources of its waters and provides that such 

 nations shall have the right to provide for the conservation of these resources. 

 Approximately 90 percent of the world fishery catch is taken from inland waters 

 or waters immediately over or adjacent to the continental shelf of nations within 

 the temperate or tropic zones. The measurement of the U.S. coastline within 

 these zones exceeds 10,000 miles. Only Indonesia, Australia, and Russia have 

 comparable or more extensive coastlines. The other 111 nations of the world 

 either have substantially shorter coastlines or none at all. It is estimated that 

 U.S. coastal fishery resources are such as to permit an annual sustainable yield 

 of approximately 20 billion pounds. The estimated value of our potential yearly 

 catch is between $1 and $1..5 billion. Last year, however, the U.S. coastal catch 

 was below 5 billion pounds and the foreign catch off the U.S. coast was approxi- 

 mately 3 billion pounds. 



The evidence is quite clear that the U.S. coastal fishery resource is one of 

 the most extensive and richest in the world. It is also clear that this resource 

 is being underutilized by the United States and is becoming increasingly attrac- 

 tive to foreign fishing fleets. Five years ago there were fewer than 100 foreign 

 vessels fishing off the U.S. coast. This past summer we witnessed more than 

 1.500 large, modern, eflBcient foreign-flag flshing vessels ranging between 3 and 

 50 miles from our coast. About one-half of this foreign fleet has been operating 

 off the coast of Alaska. Since I am more familiary with that area, I would like 

 to focus attention on the North Pacific. 



In recent years, the Russians and Japanese have taken substantial quantities 

 of shrimp, flounder, ocean perch, sablefish, cod, and pollack in the water above 

 the Alaska Continental Shelf . It is reliably and conservatively estimated that 

 these six fishery resources alone have a potential annual catch value in excess 



