OCEAN DUMPING OF WASTE MATERIALS 



TUESDAY, APRIL 6, 1971 



House of Representatives, 

 Joint Subcommittees on Oceanography and 



Fisheries and Wildufe Conservation, 



Washington, D.G. 

 The joint subcommittees met, pursuant to notice, at 10 a.m. in room 

 1334, Longwortli House Office Building, Hon. Alton Lemion (chair- 

 man of the Subcommittee on Oceanography) and Hon. John D. Dingell 

 (chairman of the Subcommittee on Fisheries and Wildlife Conserva- 

 tion) presiding. 



Mr. Dingell. The subcommittees will come to order. 

 This is a continuation of the hearings begun yesterday on the series 

 of bills regarding the matter of ocean dumping. 



Our first witness this morning will be our good friend and col- 

 league, the Honorable Charles W. Sandman, Jr. 

 Mr. Sandman, we are glad to welcome you. 

 Will you identify yourself fully, for the record. 



STATEMENT OF HON. CHAKLES W. SANDMAN, A EEPRESENTATIVE 

 IN CONGSESS EEOM THE STATE OP NEW JEESEY 



Congressman Sandman. Thank you, Mr. Chairman, and the dis- 

 tinguished members of the Subcommittees on Fisheries and Wildlife 

 Conservation and Oceanography. These hearings are most timely. 



I say timely because starting this Easter weekend and continu- 

 ing through late fall, millions of American tourists and sportsmen 

 will flock to the seashore resorts such as Atlantic City, the Wildwoods, 

 and Cape May in the congressional district I represent. 



They are attracted primarily by the Atlantic Ocean, its clean white 

 beaches, its surf, the cool fresh air it brings to the shore and the bath- 

 ing, fishing, boating and other recreational opportunities it provides. 

 They will spend an estimated $3 billion this summer alone, an income 

 upon which a large number of the people I represent are dependent 

 for their livelihood. Yet the seashore as a vacationland may soon be a 

 thing of the past if we do not act now to stop ocean pollution. 



This committee's deliberations are also timely because one of the 

 Nation's most historic, basic and important industries may well be 

 threatened with near extinction because of ocean pollution. Commer- 

 cial fishing hauls continue to go down in quantity and quality; the 

 fleets are dwindling in size and recently, over 80 percent of the in- 

 shore waters in my district and large portions of offshore waters have 

 been declared off limits for the taking of shellfish. All because of 

 pollution. 



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