NATIONAL OCEANOGRAPHIC PROGRAM LEGISLATION 337 



I would say that again the Great Lakes is an area that I tliink we 

 should include within our purview. 



Mr. Ashley. To what extent has there been acquatic researcli go- 

 ing on in the Great Lakes in recent years that are sponsored or sup- 

 ported by the Federal Government ? 



Dr. Morse. Well, within the Federal Government, I believe there 

 is activity related to certainly the Public Health Service. I have a 

 representative from the Public Health Service here, perahps he could 

 coment on their activities in the Great Lakes if he would take a 

 moment. 



Mr. Ashley. Give me just a general idea of the Federal agencies 

 that are sponsoring or conducting work in the Great Lakes area. 



Dr. Morse. In the Great Lakes region there is work — Public Health 

 Service 1 mentioned. Bureau of Commercial Fisheries, and the Na- 

 tional Science Foundation are the primary other ones. I think there 

 are activities, one that I happen to know about, where the activity in 

 oceanography is leading back to activities that certainly are applicable 

 to the Great Lakes — that is the use, for example, of merchant ships 

 to carry observational packages to make observations. 



This program is in ONR and, I believe, is planned to be extended to 

 the Great Lakes to use the freighters on the Great Lakes to make ob- 

 servations as ships of opportunity. 



Mr. Ashley. Are the Federal activities with respect to the Great 

 Lakes tied together in any organizational way ? 



Dr. Morse. Not within our organization. There is within the Fed- 

 eral Government none. There is, of course, at the University of 

 Michigan the Great Lakes Research Institute, and I assume this is 

 a vehicle through which the agencies do 



Mr. Ashley. In other words the activities that are going on are 

 autonomous activities with various departments and are not tied 

 together with appropriations from the various agencies and depart- 

 ments ; is that right ? 



Dr. Morse. Yes. 



Mr. Ashley. Is there any kind of a center or headquarters for Great 

 Lakes research at the pi'esent time ? 



Dr. Morse. Not in the Federal Government. The Great Lakes Re- 

 search Institute of the LTniversity of Michigan is one such institution 

 that exists outside. 



Mr. Ashley. And that is supported ? 



Dr. Morse. This is supported by — I believe the Science Foundation 

 supports these activities. 



Mr. Ashley. Can you give us any idea of what Project Neptune is 

 about ? 



Dr. Morse. Well, Project Neptune is that ships of opportunity pro- 

 gram which most of which has been devoted to the activities in the 

 oceans and will be applied — extended — to the Great Lakes, although 

 I am not sure that the title "Project Neptune" is appropriate to the 

 Great Lakes. I do not know if Neptune resides there or not. 



Mr. Ashley. To what extent does the fearful pollution situation 

 that we are all becoming aware of with respect to the Great Lakes 

 play a deterrent role in the activities of the Federal Government as 

 far as the aquatic research is concerned ? 



Dr. Morse. I think I would not feel competent to comment on that. 



