56 



light. Chondrus doesn't grow, the Irish moss. It grows 6 or 8 

 months a year and then it just sort of shuts down. Those are the 

 times of the year when these other ones can be grown too. 



I think biomass production in the ocean has got to be done in the 

 warm water areas where you can get year-round growth. 



Mr. Hughes. I take it that you have pretty much simulated the 

 environment? 



Dr. Ryther. Yes, we are trying to as well as possible. We are 

 growing these outdoors in ponds, big tanks, and that sort of thing. 



Mr. Hughes. Thank you, Mr. Chairman. 



Mr. Studds. Thank you very much. 



If you have time on the way to the airport I would appreciate 

 your stopping by the Department of the Interior to give them a 

 brief lecture on Georges Bank and the marine life out there. 



Dr. Ryther. Yes, that is a matter of very great concern to many 

 of us. 



Mr. Studds. Thank you. Have a safe trip home. 



Our next witness is Dr. Michael Neushul. I hope I am pronounc- 

 ing that correctly. President of Neushul Mariculture, Inc. Did I 

 mispronounce you, sir? 



Dr. Neushul. That is correct, amazingly so. 



Mr. Studds. Welcome. 



STATEMENT OF MICHAEL NEUSHUL, PROFESSOR OF MARINE 

 BOTANY, UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA, SANTA BARBARA 

 AND, PRESIDENT, NEUSHUL MARICULTURE, INC., GOLETA, 

 CALIF. 



Dr. Neushul. Mr. Chairman and members of the committee, it is 

 a privilege to be here to present my views as to the feasibility of 

 oceanic macroalgal farms, and their potential yields, and the 

 future potential. 



As a member of the Bioenergy Advisory Panel for the Office of 

 Technology Assessment, I can also comment briefly, but perhaps 

 not as effectively as John has, on how oceanic biomass might fit 

 into an overall scheme for meeting U.S. energy needs. 



Since 1963, I have worked as a faculty member on the faculty of 

 the University of California at Santa Barbara on various aspects of 

 macroalgal biology, with research support from the biological 

 oceanography program of the National Science Foundation and, 

 more recently, with National Science Foundation support through 

 the small business program of the Applied Science and Research 

 Applications Division. This has made it possible to install an oper- 

 ational marine macroalgal farm in Goleta Bay, Calif. 



In considering the potential of macroalgal farms, I think it is 

 very important first to review what has and is happening in Japan 

 and China where very large marine farms now exist. 



As of 1970, there were 130,000 acres of sea surface under cultiva- 

 tion in Japan and, as of about 1976, there were 25,000 acres being 

 cultivated along the coast of mainland China. Plans were being 

 made to double this production. 



I might add at this point that the primary architect of the 

 Chinese program — Dr. C. K. Tseng — graduated from the University 

 of Michigan and returned to China, and as I will indicate on the 

 graph on the next page, is largely responsible for their program. 



