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productive farmland, is it not? You cannot do much out there 

 around Nevada? 



Mr. Adams. Yes, sir; we would see the terrestrial production of 

 biomass as being done on marginal land. That would be land whose 

 highest and best use might be for this purpose. That is certainly 

 not without its problems. Water, fresh water availability is certain- 

 ly a big factor in those areas with all the competition from water, 

 for fresh water, for processes and agricultural purposes, particu- 

 larly in the area out west. That certainly is a big factor just as 

 there are technical factors in the ocean, and this is why it is my 

 belief that at this early date, it is still too early for us to take a call 

 as to which way the thing could go. 



Mr. Pritchard. So if you get into growth of saltwater production, 

 the possibilities are unlimited there — saltwater and sunshine and 

 some nutrients, and you are in business? 



Mr. Adams. Yes, sir; that is right. 



The question of yield is certainly not the only question. Harvest- 

 ing and the ability to harvest the material at an economic cost is 

 certainly a big question there. These offset each other to some 

 extent. 



If we had extremely high yield, if we could achieve extremely 

 high yield in the open ocean, then that would relieve some of the 

 press on harvesting. 



Mr. Pritchard. I would think also that if you are talking about 

 saltwater, you could do it in areas where labor is in great surplus 

 or extremely cheap. If it is something that could be portable, this 

 would also help its feasibility. Not all energy sources can be moved 

 reasonably, so this is almost a never, never land, at least for people 

 like myself. It just seems like it is out there so far it is hard to 

 grasp, and yet solutions like this are closely related to today's 

 problems. 



Mr. Adams. No, sir; I do not really believe it is a never, never 

 land. 



Mr. Pritchard. I should say it almost seems to people like us 

 that it is out there and yet you are dealing in factors that are 

 something that is 75 years away. 



Mr. Adams. We believe that before the mideighties, with the 

 sustained healthy research and development program, both on land 

 and in the open ocean, a balanced program that we will be able to 

 have answers that are clear enough to permit one to set priorities 

 in a much better way than we can right now. Even to try to 

 understand right now with any degree of certainty those factors 

 that inhibit yield and growth rates and what can be done about 

 them and new strains that can be utilized and how they can be 

 cultivated, we just do not have the information to do it, and I do 

 not believe that — I really do not believe that that sort of informa- 

 tion exists elsewhere in the world; that we could readily tap and 

 greatly accelerate what we know right now. 



Mr. Pritchard. If you had to pick one thing among all the 

 activities that you are involved with, that would, at this point have 

 the best chance of coming to fruition, what would that be? 



Mr. Adams. Sir, could you qualify that for me? Do you mean 

 with respect to aquatic biomass? 



Mr. Pritchard. Yes. 



