NATIONAL OCEANOGRAPHIC PROGRAM LEGISLATION 125 



Mr. Casey. Senator, it is a real pleasure to have you here today 

 and I certainly enjoyed your statement. I know tliat you follow this 

 very closely and attended the Conferences in Geneva, where I had the 

 occasion to be at one, myself, during my freshman term here. 



This was the Conference in 1959 an(i I was com]pletely enlightened 

 by the fact that the other nations were focusing more attention on 

 this, knew more about it than we did, and the lack of our interest. 



I think our problem is, and I think you probably agree with me — 

 as 3^ou pointed out the space program is being well financed — and 

 I will repeat what I have said many times, we have to glamorize and 

 publicize the importance of the oceanography program. 



More interesting, on just the Mohole project there were lots of 

 screams because it was going to cost around $80 million. I happen 

 to serve on the Science and Astronautics Committee of the House, 

 and we spend three times that for one launching pad and no one com- 

 plains, not that it isn't important, because I think it is, and I think it 

 is important not only from a scientific point, but also from a defense 

 point, but I think oceanography is important from not only a scientific 

 but from a defense point of view. 



I know that the Senator is familiar with the fact that we have tried 

 to impress on past administrations the importance of bringing about 

 a cohesion of the oceanographic effort and I think the Senator was 

 in the forefront of one of the bills that we passed before, which hap- 

 pened to be vetoed. 



I don't know what it is going to take to awaken not only the ad- 

 ministration, but the public support for all-out oceanographic pro- 

 gram. One thing that disturbs me, and what you touched on, is the 

 amount of food that is taken out of our oceans, and right off of your 

 coast particularly, and off the coast of Florida, and off the coast of 

 Texas, where we have no program as to the regulations that we will 

 have to promulgate to conserve the food. 



In addition to that I would like the Senator's comment, which I 

 thmk is related in that regard, as to how we could stimulate the fish- 

 ing industry, say in your own State. Has this program of vessel loans 

 and so forth that came out of this committee been any help in that 

 regard ? 



Senator Bartlett. Yes, decidedly it has been of help. But the fact 

 remains, as you stated it, that our fishery in the Pacific Northwest, and 

 elsewhere along all our coasts, is an in-shore fishery. We haven't 

 gone out for ground fish, for example, along the west coast. 



The Russians have mother ships lying directly off our coast as large 

 in tonnage as our heavy cruisers during World War II. We have 

 nothing comparable to this. 



On the other hand, and corrections are being made on account of 

 this loan program to which you referred, we have an outmoded, out- 

 dated fleet. I think the oldest fishing vessel in the entire fleet is one 

 that 0]3erates from a port in Mr. Rogers' State. It was built during 

 the Civil War and is still fishing. 



West Germany is replacing fishing ships built as recently as 1954. 

 I don't know. Congressman Casey, how we are going to do this, but I 

 do say that you are exactly right when you say that we have to attach 

 to this something of the glamor that accompanies the space program. 



This doesn't denigrate the space program at all. We desire to take 



