494 NATIONAL OCEANOGRAPHIC PROGRAM LEGISLATION 



STATEMENT OF DONALD L. McKERNAN, DIRECTOR, BUREAU OF 

 COMMERCIAL FISHERIES, DEPARTMENT OF INTERIOR; ACCOM- 

 PANIED BY DR. JOHN LYMAN, OCEANOGRAPHIC COORDINATOR 



Mr. McKernan. With your permission I have asked Dr. John 

 Lyman, our oceanographic coordinator, to accompany me to the stand. 



Mr. Lennon. We are delighted. 



Mr. McKernan. Mr. Chairman, in the interest of time I will not 

 read my whole statement but would ask your permission to insert it 

 in the record as if read and comment on some aspects which I feel 

 have not been considered here in your hearings, at least in those parts 

 of it I have had the opportunity to listen to. 



Mr. Lennon. Without objection, your complete statement will be 

 included in the record. 



(Statement referred to follows :) 



Statement op Donald L. McKeknan, Director, Bureau of Commercial 

 Fisheries, U.S. Department op the Interior 



Mr. Chairman and members of the committee, the important position that 

 scientific research and development occupies in the affairs of the Nation is a 

 phenomenon of recent development. The oceanographic sciences provide an 

 excellent illustration of the complexity of management of science and its coordi- 

 nation in the Federal Establishment. The various bills which you are con- 

 sidering here today, and the many other pieces of legislation relating to oceanog- 

 raphy which have been introduced in the Congress during the last 3 years or 

 more attest to the concern that you feel about the need for adequate control 

 and planning of this important activity. 



Before World War II the word "oceanography" was familiar to only a few 

 specialists, and it is doubtful whether many laymen would have recognized the 

 term if they had seen it. The importance of oceanography for defense was recog- 

 nized during the war, and the few oceanographers in existence at that time were 

 pressed into service to aid in various aspects of naval warware, including the 

 prediction of the state of the surface of the sea for amphibious landings. Fol- 

 lowing the war. the science of oceanography began the development which has 

 led to its present importance and concurrent problems associated with its growth. 

 The term "oceanography" is a misnomer, for it means different things to dif- 

 ferent people. Modern usage most often uses the term "oceanography" to mean 

 the physical description of the ocean. A much more appropriate term for the 

 broad science would be "oceanology." Oceanology includes such things as air-sea 

 interaction and the relation of physical and chemical phenomena to the natural 

 resources of the ocean, living and mineral. The natural resources of the world 

 ocean are of special interest to the Department of the Interior. However, the 

 term "oceanography" as it is used in the United States covers all aspects of 

 ocean science and engineering. This definition has been described briefly as the 

 study of the ocean, its boundaries, and its contents. The definition should be 

 broadened to include the dynamic interactions between these things. 



When the Federal Council for Science and Technology was established in 1959, 

 one of the first aspects of Federal science to which it gave attention was oceanog- 

 raphy. It found that this important activity was a conglomeration of all the 

 sciences. It was stressed very early that oceanography is not a branch of sci- 

 ence, but rather is an application of all branches of science and engineering to the 

 study of the sea. The Council found that many Departments and specialized 

 agencies in the Federal Government had a deep interest in oceanography. The 

 Executive and the Congress became concerned about coordination of the rapidly 

 developing programs. 



In the Department of the Interior we have at least four Bureaus with a deep 

 interest in oceanography. The Geological Survey and the Bureau of Mines are 

 concerned with the composition and structure of the ocean floor and margins 

 and with the geological resources, including minerals and the methods of min- 

 ing them. The Bureau of Commercial Fisheries and the Bureau of Sports Fish- 

 eries and Wildlife have an interest in the living resources and their environ- 

 ment. Certain other bureaus and oflices in Interior, such as the Office of 



