23, MARINE SCIENCES AND RESEARCH ACT 
tions or individuals devoted to marine sciences and fishery 
research. 
7. Determine reserves of metals of industrial or commercial 
value in adjacent ocean waters and ascertain techniques and 
probable costs of recovery and extraction. 
8. Assist in taxonomic studies of marine organisms and in 
providing facilities for their preservation and scientific classifica- 
tion. 
Section 6 of the bill would authorize appropriations for the activities 
designated in section 5. 
Such sums as may be necessary would be authorized for construc- 
tion of new ships for fisheries exploration and research. The amount 
to cover the 10-year ship construction program is not specified, as your 
committee, which has legislative jurisdiction over the agency, will 
wish to review from time to time its progress in the program. 
There can be little question that the Bureau of Commercial Fish- 
eries, whatever the cause, has not kept pace with its responsibili- 
ties in recent years, although it still retains many dedicated officials 
and scientists. 
The Committee on Oceanography, in its report on “Ocean Re- 
sources” filed with your committee, has this terse comment on the 
Bureau’s ocean research activities: 
The principal Government agency with primary respon- 
sibility of research and development of living ocean re- 
sources—the Bureau of Commercial Fisheries of the U.S. 
Fish and Wildlife Service—is retrogressing rather than 
progressing in its ability to engage in broader, basic pro- 
grams involving ship operations. 
Research ships of the Bureau are small and old and none in recent 
years have been replaced although many other nations, including the 
Soviet Union, Communist China, Japan, Canada, Great Britain, 
France, West Germany, and the Union of South Africa have aug- 
mented their fisheries research fleets with new and advanced vessels. 
While these and other foreign nations have been enlarging their 
fleets, that of the Bureau of Commercial Fisheries actually has 
diminished. 
The Bureau’s principal research ship in the Atlantic, prior to its 
deactivation March 9, 1959, Albatross III, has not been replaced. 
At the time of its retirement it was 33 years old. Scientific duties 
assigned to the Albatross III were transferred to the 147-foot trawler 
Delaware, a 22-year-old vessel also engaged in fisheries studies. Like- 
wise retired was a Great Lakes research boat, the Musky. 
Largest ship of the Bureau’s fleet, the 371-ton Black Douglas is 33 
years old and capable of operating only light gear. The Bureau has 
been reduced to only six operating vessels over 40 feet in length. 
Dr. Schaefer informed your committee during the course of the 
hearings that — 
the Russians have been doing rather advanced work on ma- 
rine biology and particularly oceanography in support of 
fisheries development for about as long as we have. 
