MARINE SCIENCE 19 



Byproducts as you call them, besides national defense, and food and 

 water. 



Mr. Spilhaus. Minerals. 



Senator Thurmond. And the prevention of destruction of vessels. 



Mr. Spilhaus. Minerals. 



Senator Thurmond. Do you feel it will be practical to salvage the 

 minerals in the sea ? 



Mr. Spilhaus. I believe it may be in the future. As we exhaust 

 the minerals on land, their value goes up. As we develop new tech- 

 niques of exploitation of things in the sea, the cost of producing them 

 comes down. At some point they may meet and more and more min- 

 erals may be exploited from the sea. 



I think there are a number of other things that will become useful 

 from the sea. 



Senator Thurmond. What about fertilizer. Do you visualize any 

 benefit to that extent ? 



Mr. Spilhaus. I think when we come to the discussion on ocean 

 resources and fisheries you will find that we not only use fish for 

 human protein, but we also use fish for plant and animal food. In 

 this respect fish are valuable to the farmer in the middle of our 

 country. 



It is possible that antibiotics may be obtained from the sea. There 

 are all kinds of possibilities of this nature that we can't pin down. 



The Chairman. We have hardly scratched the surface, as I under- 

 stand it, on the medicinal possibilities of what we may find in the 

 sea. 



Senator Yarborough. 



Senator Yarborough. Among these byproducts you mentioned, as- 

 suming that we had complete security by disarmament and it was 

 actually real, you say the byproducts of this study will pay for it. 



I take it from that you think this is absolutely essential even aside 

 from the issue of national defense ? 



Mr. Spilhaus. Yes, sir. I think if we had complete and secure 

 peace, I would still be here urging a program of this nature. 



Senator Yarborough. I think I agree with you. I would still be 

 supporting you. 



I want to ask you this: Isn't this study necessary on one other 

 fact — I am a little bit late; this may be covered. If it has, I will 

 withdraw the question and save time, Mr. Chairman. 



The ocean has been suggested as the best graveyard, or burying 

 ground for atomic waste. Is not this study essential to learn where 

 the currents of the oceans are, the deep, subsurface currents as well 

 as the surface currents, in order to determine whether or not it is safe 

 to use the ocean as the burial ground for atomic wastes and to what 

 extent and in what proportions? 



Mr. Spilhaus. Yes, this is a most important study. It is one 

 you will hear more about from Dr. Carritt later on. I did touch 

 on it in my statement. I simply said that one of the reasons that 

 we must have much more study by biologists and radiophysicists is 

 to determine whether or not we are doing something to the ocean in 

 this way that may be as harmful and that may plague succeeding 

 generations. 



Senator Yarborough. Thank you. 



