MARINE SCIENCE 147 



I trust that the above comments will be helpful to you. Again may I state 

 that the principles and objectives of your S. 20'J2 meet with our concurrence. 

 Incorporation of the suggestions I have made will make the bill extremely 

 valuable. 



Yours sincerely, 



W. T. Shannon, Director. 



The Academy of Natural Sciences of Philadelphia, 



December in, 7.9.5.9. 

 Senator Waeben G. Magnuson, 

 Senate Office Building, 

 Washington, D.C. 



Dear Senator Magnuson : 1. Both the bill and the oceauographic report of 

 the National Academy of Sciences (upon which the bill is based) fail to mention 

 or draw upon the Smithsonian Institution-U.S. National Museum for advice, 

 guidance, or xiarticipation. 



Comments : For over 100 years, the U.S. National Museum has engaged in 

 basic research in many phases of the marine sciences, and today has a competent 

 staff of scientists who are currently engaged in taxouomic (cla.ssification (jf or- 

 ganisms), geographical, and ecological studies of marine animals and plants. 



The U.S. National Museum houses the country's largest collections of marine 

 organisms which are vital for identification and comparative purposes in any 

 international survey program. 



The staff of the U.S. National Museum has many scientists who are greatly 

 experienced in field surveys, marine exploration, and in the problems of pre- 

 serving and housing oceanic samples and marine organisms. 



Recommendation : That, at sometime during the hearings, an administrative 

 representative and at least two scientists ''on the lower echelon" be called upon 

 to express their views on appropriate phases of the proposed program. 



2. Both the bill and the oceanographic report of the National Academy of 

 Sciences (upon which the bill is based) fail to recognize or offer concrete pro- 

 posals to solve the immense problem of preserving, documenting, and properly 

 housing the specimens upon which all future biological research and surveys 

 will depend. 



Comments : The majority of the scientists who prepared the ''oceanography, 

 1960 to 1970" report are wholly or mostly conceimed with the physical aspects 

 of oceanography, and although their excellent report deals with many biological 

 aspects, such as fisheries, "mapping of distributions of species," taxonomy, and 

 ocean resources, etc., there is insufiicient discussion, consideration and recom- 

 mendations concerning a vital aspect of oceanographic research ; namely, the 

 sorting, organizing, preservation and proper housing of biological specimens col- 

 lected during the 10-year program. 



If this phase of the program is inadequately financed, great quantities of price- 

 less specimens w^ill be thrown back into the sea, buried in a chaotic mass of hap- 

 hazard accummulation, or lost through neglect and improper disposition. While 

 much of the data on physical oceanography can be recorded and preserved in 

 written or visual records, most of the biological data concerning the identity and 

 telltale condition of individuals must be preserved in the form of specimens and 

 samples. 



All of our knowledge concerning what organisms exist in the oceans is based 

 upon (and is constantly subject to reexamination) the collections preserved in 

 the leading 50 natural history museums of the world, including S or 9 in the 

 United States. These collections were made by private and Government expedi- 

 tions and individuals. The results of the first U.S. oceanographic expedition, 

 made in 1S32 by "Wilkes, were largely lost because of inadequate financial sup- 

 port for the housing of the specimens. The present, approximate number of 

 marine specimens now preserved in United States private and public research 

 museums is about 3 billion; fish (20 million), mollusks (50 million), starfish, 

 etc. (2 million), worms, etc. (1 million), corals (1 million), diatoms and other 

 algae (4 million), etc. The new 10-year program, if properly carried out, will 

 quadruple the amount of specimens needed for a minimal amount of taxonomic 

 research, and upon which all survey and marine resources work must depend. 



It is the history and philosophy of Ajnerican science that a large part of all 

 scientific endeavors are the function of independent and nongovernmental 

 scientists, and institutions. It is also recognized that direct governmental par- 

 ticipation in scientific research is an important and effective advancement of 



