NATIONAL OCEANOGRAPHIC PROGRAM—1965 Bie 
representative of the Japanese Government, or more than one, inter- 
ested in oceanographic matters. I got the impression that the fish- 
eries people and the oceanographic people in Japan work very closely 
together. 
I asked them if that were not the case, and they said yes, they had 
worked very closely together for a long period of time. 
I got the impression that the Japanese have been engaged in ocean- 
ography work for a long period time and probably in some respects 
were ahead of us. 
Could you comment on that ? 
Dr. Waxettn. I can very generally, Mr. Tollefson. 
Our impression of the earlier work in Oceanography in Japan is 
that it derives from their particular interest in fishing. They are in- 
terested in the food supply for their islands. For this reason I believe 
their interest in the whole ocean area, both physical and chemical 
oceanography, stems from the food interest they have for their people. 
This is somewhat different than the earlier starts we have made in this 
country. We have had three different segments in general in our 
program, quite distinct from the Japanese interest in food, and that is 
in physical oceanography, in marine biology, and in whatever air and 
sea interactions are involved in the meterological aspects. These have 
not been as closely associated with the food resources of the sea. 
We work very closely with Mr. McKernan’s group in the Depart- 
ment of Interior. He has educated us to the requirement for oceano- 
eraphic information with respect to the natural resources, the living 
resources of the seas, and I think now that our particular program in 
fishing resources 1s more nearly geared to the use of oceanography as 
the Japanese have developed it than it was prior to 1959 or 1960. 
Mr. Totterson. You answered the next question I was going to ask, 
and that is, whether or not our Fish and Wildlife people are working 
with other Government oceanographic personnel on oceanography 
matters. Jam glad to hear you say they are. 
Now, is there an exchange of the information between say the Japa- 
hese and our Government people, and likewise, is there an exchange 
between our Government and other governments? 
Do you work with other governments? Is there an exchange of 
information ? 
Dr. Waxettn. Yes, there is. There are roughly two mechanisms 
for exchanging information. The formal mechanism among govern- 
ments is through the Intergovernmental Oceanographic Commission, 
which is affiliated with UNESCO. I believe there were 37 nations 
who started this IOC in 1961 in Paris, and I think the membership 
has increased to about 50. 
While there are a number of cooperative enterprises in which the 
IOC has been engaged, such as the Indian Ocean Expedition and the 
Tropical Atlantic Expedition, their particular budget for research is 
rather small in comparison with the budget of the participating 
nations. However, there is a free and open exchange of information 
on natural resources, on physical and chemical oceanography, and on 
meteorological aspects that affect and control the sea. 
