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food, we need to know a great deal more about their biology, geo- 
graphic and seasonal distribution, as well as their ecological inter- 
relationships with other species and the environment. 
Experimental breeding over the last 100 years, helped by the land 
grant college system, has produced fine herds of dairy and beef cattle. 
We have hardly begun such experiments in the sea. 
A bright light is the work on experimentally induced changes in 
size, growth, reproductive effectiveness and time of return of the 
Pacife salmon, and similarly in the rainbow trout, effected by Dr. 
Lauren Donaldson of the University of Washington. Dr. Donaldson 
talks about the north Pacific Ocean as his “fish pasture.” 
The worst world food shortages, however, are in the tropics. 
The milkfish of Taiwan, the Philippines, and Indonesia are being 
grown in ponds. However, the normal environment for reproduction is 
not known. Larval fishes from somewhere appear in shallow water 
and are captured each year to form the base of the hundreds of mil- 
hons of dollar food industry. 
The marine mullet lives in the same region of the world, but cannot 
be raised to the adult stage. It is raised for food after it passes the 
critical stages in the ocean. 
With few exceptions, we do not know which marine tropical fishes 
can be farmed. There are 600 familes, and at least 15,000 species of 
fishes known to occur in the ocean. Our systematists find new species 
almost every time they conduct field studies. 
Some of these may be suitable for man. Our knowledge of the full 
life cycle of commonly harvested tuna species is incomplete, let alone 
the other less used species. 
As an example of the return of benefits from the proper culture 
of sea organisms, may I mention the oyster? Long claimed and con- 
trolled by so-called farmers of the sea, oyster beds may be protected 
from predators and poachers for a full growing period of 3 to 4 years, 
and produce up to 400 pounds of meat per acre. 
Recently in Japan a new technique has been developed of suspend- 
ing oysters on long ropes from the surface through 300 feet of water 
into an active plankton-rich current flowing through the farm. Under 
such conditions, oyster production has been achieving a yield of 50,000 
pounds per acre. 
This 100-fold increase has been based on culture methods alone. 
What could happen if breeding experiments were successful in pro- 
ducing an improved stock? No one knows. 
Mr. Chairman, I mention the above facts to introduce the role of 
the Smithsonian Institution in studies of the sea. Since the opening 
of our western frontier over 100 years ago, our scientists have accom- 
panied the explorers in order to collect and study the plants, animals, 
and minerals of our great land. They have contributed immensely to 
our understanding of the natural history and ecology of our country. 
Now we are engaged in studies to “open” the last great frontiers 
of our planet—the ocean. We continue to gather and to disseminate 
basic knowledge about the biology, behavior, and distribution of the 
thousands of species that form the populations of the world. 
In this way, our scientists in the Smithsonian contribute towards 
the achievement of our national goals in oceanography. 
