216 



Tlie Federal courts, in most legal minds today, does not have the 

 jurisdiction that it should have to handle this kind of a problem ade- 

 quately, and I am hopeful that your committee will be working, with 

 dispatch to pass a measure that will regulate the dumping in the ocean. 



Mr. DiNGELL. Mr. Sandman, the committee is grateful to you. We 

 are aware of your long assistance to this committee, during the last 

 session of the Congress, and we are glad to say that this time we think 

 we are able to move forward on legislation. 



Mr. Pelly. Mr. Chairman, Mr. Sandman has made an unusual con- 

 tribution, because he has had an active fight against the dumping, and 

 in his experience I think it will be very helpful to this committee. 



Mr. DiNGELL. I thoroughly agree. 



Mr. Sandman. Thank ;^ou, gentlemen. 



Mr. DiNGELL. The Chair is happy to welcome as our next witness, 

 and a former member of this committee, Congressman Louis Frey, Jr. 



We are sorry he is not here with us on the committee this year. 



Mr. Frey, we are certainly happy to welcome you. 



STATEMENT BY HON. LOUIS EREY, JR., A REPRESENTATIVE IN 

 CONGRESS PROM THE STATE OF FLORIDA 



Mr. Frey. Thank you, Mr. Chairman. These bills, H.R. 4359, H.E. 

 4360, and H.R. 4361, were cosponsored by 52 members from both sides 

 of the aisle, including the distinguished chairman of the oceanography 

 subcommittee, Mr. Lennon. Other cosponsors who are members of 

 the Merchant Marine and Fisheries Committee include Mr. Grover, 

 Mr. McCloskey, Mr. Hathaway, and Mr. Keith. In addition, the 

 bill introduced by Mr, Rogers — H.R. 662 — and cosponsored by 

 Messrs. Dingell, Pelly, McCloskey, Keith, Moss, and Conte differ in 

 only one major respect from my bill — it does not provide for the estab- 

 lishment of a system of marine sanctuaries. 



Mr. Chairman, we are all well aware of the seriousness of the present 

 situation. Marine pollution has seriously damaged the environment 

 and in some areas it is posing a great threat to human life. There have 

 been heavy kills of fish and at least one-fifth of the Nation's commercial 

 shellfish beds have been lost due to pollution. 



Shellfish have been found to contain hepatitis, polio virus, and other 

 pathogens. In the lagoons and estuaries in Brevard County, Fla., for 

 example, heavy fresh water runoffs from agricultural areas have re- 

 sulted in the banning of shellfish harvesting, which was a major in- 

 dustry in the area. Lifeless zones in the marine environment have 

 actually been created. 



Man has also been seriously affected. Not only has there been a loss 

 of recreational opportunities and adverse esthetic effects, but there 

 have been instances of lethal and sublethal effects. By 1965, over 41 

 persons living on Minamata Bay, Japan, had died due to mercury 

 poisoning in fish and shellfish. Recent tests off Long Island indicate 

 the presence of mercury in fish that is within the range reported for 

 the first that caused the ^linamata Bay disease in Japan. 



According to the Council on Environmental Quality, 48 million 

 tons of waste were dumped at sea in 1968. These wastes included 

 dredge spoils, industrial wastes, sewage, construction and demolition 



