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INTRODUCTION 



On October 15, 1966, the President signed 

 Public Law 89-688, the NATIONAL SEA GRANT 

 COLLEGE AND PROGRAM ACT, for the pur- 

 pose of accelerating national development of 

 marine resources. The term "Sea Grant" was 

 chosen to emphasize the parallel between the 

 present need for ocean resource development 

 and the need for development of the land at 

 the time of the Morrill Act of 1862, which es- 

 tabhshed the Land Grant Program. While the 

 Sea Grant Program follows the pattern of the 

 Land Grant Program only to a very limited ex- 

 tent, it does embrace the principal concept: 

 that of providing a means through which schol- 

 ars and institutions of higher education can 

 apply their competence and knowledge to the 

 practical needs of the nation and the world. 

 In accordance with this concept, the National 

 Sea Grant College and Program Act assigns to 

 the National Science Foundation the respon- 

 sibility for supporting and encouraging the na- 

 tion's institutions of higher education and other 

 institutes, laboratories, and public and private 

 agencies to play a major role in marine resource 

 development. 



The Act defines "development of marine re- 

 sources" as endeavors related to the develop- 

 ment, conservation, or economic utilization of 

 the physical, chemical, biological, or geological 

 resources of the marine environment. Included 

 in the marine environment are the oceans and 

 Great Lakes, the continental shelf of the United 

 States, the seabed and subsoil of submarine 

 areas adjacent to the coasts, and the seabed and 

 subsoil of submarine areas adjacent to the coasts 

 of islands comprising United States Territory. 

 The Act states that the Foundation shall exer- 

 cise its authority under the Act by: 



"(1) initiating and supporting programs at 

 sea grant colleges and other suitable 

 institutes, laboratories, and public or 

 private agencies for the education of 



participants in the various fields relat- 

 ing to the development of marine re- 

 sources; 



(2) initiating and supporting necessary re- 

 search programs in the various fields 

 relating to the development of marine 

 resources, with preference given to re- 

 search aimed at practices, techniques, 

 and design of equipment applicable to 

 the development of marine resources 

 and; 



(3) encouraging and developing programs 

 f-onsisting of instruction, practical 

 demonstrations, publications, and 

 otherwise, by sea grant colleges and 

 other suitable institutes, laboratories, 

 and public or private agencies through 

 marine advisory programs with the ob- 

 ject of imparting useful information to 

 persons currently employed or inter- 

 ested in the various fields related to the 

 development of marine resources, the 

 scientific community, and the general 

 public." 



For operational purposes, the National Sea 

 Grant Program has established two distinct ele- 

 ments: Sea Grant Institutional support ^ and Sea 

 Grant Project support. 



Sea Grant Institutional support will be focused 

 in institutions engaged in comprehensive marine 

 resources programs that include research, edu- 

 cation, and advisory services. Such institutions 

 should provide leadership, and scientific and 

 technological resources for marine activities 

 within their regions. 



' In the Foundation's Important Announcement dated 

 June 8, 1967, this type of support was referred to as "Sea 

 Grant College Support." The appellation has been 

 changed in order to avoid the implication that institu- 

 tions other than educational ones are ineligible or any 

 implication that an award of this type of support con- 

 notes designation as a Sea Grant College. 



