162 



try to establish a sanctuary system or national estuary system, so we 

 liave this fundamental need for more knowledge about the resource 

 base we operate from. 



Mr. KoGERs. What proposals have the Department made to accom- 

 plish this ? 



You can supply this for the record. Let us know what you propose, 

 what the funding would be, and what personnel would be needed to 

 carry it out. It is essential to get some specific facts to help us move 

 on this. I would think this is very vital. 



(The following was supplied in response to the above :) 



Inventory of Natttrat. Reboxjboes of Ck)NTiNENTAi, Shelf and Open Ocean 



The Bureau of Commeroial Fisheries conducts exploratory fishing surveys on 

 and beyond the continental shelf from five Exploratory Fishing and Grear Re- 

 search Bases located at strategic i>oints along the U.S. coast. A total of six 

 Bureau-owned exploratory fishing and gear research vessels, ranging in length 

 from 65 to 170 feet, are operated from these bases and are used for both explor- 

 atory and gear research. There is also one base in the Great Lakes. 



The work of this fishery survey program has resulted in the definition, loca- 

 tion, and extent of a number of resources and the start of several new fisher- 

 ies; for example, swordfish longlining in New England waters, calico scallops 

 and royal red shrimp off the South Atlantic States, shrimp off the northeast 

 coast of South America, tuna in the Gulf and Caribbean, hake and groundfish 

 in the Pacific Northwest, and king crab and shrimp in Alaska. 



Several years ago, the Bureau started to compile the extensive information 

 obtained over this exploratory i)eriod of some 20 years into a series of "faunal 

 atlases" that will show the present state of our knowledge about these resources 

 and indicate the major gaps. At the present level of funding, however, this series 

 will take many years to complete. From a preliminary analysis of all available 

 data, it was estimated that the potential annual production from the U.S. con- 

 tinental shelf and adjoining offshore areas could equal approximately 28 billion 

 pounds valued at $1.5 billion to the fisherman. 



Our knowledge is poor or lacking, however, on the distribution and abun- 

 dance of many of the species on which this estimate is based, particularly on the 

 herring-like fishes, sharks, flounders, pollock, shrimp and squid. In order to 

 harvest and manage these resources effectively, information would be needed 

 on the size and distribution of the fish stocks, their growth and natural mortality, 

 reproductive rate, and nature of subiK>pulation structure. Entirely new harvest- 

 ing methods might be required before the industry could operate effectively 

 on some of these species. New products and new methods of processing would 

 be needed to interest the U.S. public in adding some of these forms to their diet ; 

 the squid, for example. Many of the species cited would be suitable raw material 

 for the production of Fish Protein Concentrate (FPC) or for fish meal and oil. 



The Bureau plans to continue its fishery surveys and gear development work 

 as extensively as available funds and staffing will permit. A new exploratory 

 vessel, the Oregon II, was delivered in August 1967 and will be based as Pasca- 

 goula, Mississippi, for work in the Gulf and Caribbean. A second new vessel, the 

 Delaware II, is now under construction. The Bureau was granted design money 

 in FY 1964 for the construction of two additional exploratory vessels. Plans have 

 been completed for these vessels but no construction funds have been received 

 as yet. 



In September 1966, in connection with hearings on S.J. Res. 29, the Bureau 

 was asked to submit a proposal for a continental shelf and fresh water fishery 

 survey program. The proposal prepared at that time called for a 4% -year pro- 

 gram, costing a total of about $28 million and requiring the services of 254 people 

 and 30 vessels to complete. 



Peoposed Mabine Geology and Hydrology Program, for Study op 

 Continental Shelves 



The geological survey conducts a program which began in 1962 with the broad 

 investigation of the Atlantic Continental margin from Nova Scotia to Florida. 

 This was our major Federal Government attempt to analyze the geologic frames 



