NATIONAL OCEAN'OGRAPHIC PROGRAM LEGISLATION 339 



Mr. Ashley. What is envisioned by Project Neptune? Wliat is 

 sought to be accomplished. ? 



Dr. Morse. This project tries to take advantage, as I understand it, 

 of the on-going mission of commercial carrier vessels which are mak- 

 ing transoceanic trips anyway. 



The concept is that we can, by putting small portable oceanographic 

 laboratories and some staffs on board, take advantage of the hulls be- 

 ing in position, so to speak, at any one time and then can take ocean- 

 ographic measurements free of charge except for the subsistence of 

 the people on board. 



This particular committee has had hearings that brought out the 

 project status to that date and some plans for the future. 



The first mission was carried out last winter, I believe, on one of the 

 American mail ships carried on with personnel from the Santa Bar- 

 bara Laboratory, Office of Naval Research, particularly your own 

 staff, Mr. Drewry and Captain Bauer, who entered very much into 

 the work. 



Mr. Ashley. Where is the evaluation with respect to the Project 

 Neptune carried on ? 



Dr. Morse. I believe this is outlined in your hearings conducted 

 January 20, 1965, your serial 89-1, which was in itself an evaluation of 

 the progress made to date by the chief scientist of the laboratory and 

 a number of other participants. 



Mr. Ashley. Do you foresee the establishment of any kind of head- 

 quarters for the Great Lakes where the aquatic scientific effort can be 

 centered ? 



Dr. Morse. I do not know of any plans in this direction at this time. 



Mr. Ashley. Would it appear that this is desirable ? 



Dr. Morse. We are always looking for better coordination of all of 

 our activities. I personally am not that closely associated with plans 

 and activities in the Great Lakes area to know whether any of them 

 or any groups of them would benefit by closer ties to the others. 



I suspect the easiest way to get at the answer to this is to ask the 

 gentlemen who are concerned, such as Dr. Krause, concerning the 

 nature of the cooperation with other agencies and whether they really 

 believe anything more is indicated. 



Mr. Ashley. I would like to have you comment on that. Doctor. 



Dr. Krause. Yes, there are plans for the development of a regional 

 laboratory to be located at Ann Arbor at the University of Michigan 

 under the Water Pollution Control Act, the purpose of which is to 

 further the studies and to assist in the institutions in the area in their 

 studies of the various facets of, particularly the water supply and 

 water pollution control, as it affects the Great Lakes system. This 

 certainly is in the works. 



The aspect of interagency coordination, there has been a considerable 

 degree of interagency coordination primarily through transfer of 

 funds, this sort of thing, under what might be called a contractual 

 relationship or agreements among the agencies to do certain portions 

 of efforts deemed necessary to meet certain definite needs as of the 

 moment. 



This is a specific kind of need. 



For example, relationships on this basis have been established with 

 the Weather Bureau, with the Corps of Engineers, with the Bureau 



