basis for policy and planning decisions for a national marine affairs strategy 

 and oversee its implementation through its public works, pemiit, regulation, 

 and enforcement programs. 



This further depends heavily on close interaction with the full range of 

 technical and other services provided by the science, engineering, and 

 support services organization referred to previously. 



Resource Development and Conservation 



If a coherent organization for marine afTairs coordination and multiple- 

 use management were developed to the extent recommended, much of the 

 uneasiness we feel about a possible loss of marine focus, position, and sup- 

 port in the resource exploitation portions of the Department would be re- 

 lieved. With the exception of fisheries, marine aspects of other resources 

 development, such as energy, minerals, ports, transportation systems, and 

 recreation could very well be grouped organizationally with their terrestrial 

 counterparts in the Department along the lines suggested in the President's 

 Reorganization Program Papers, where Administrators for Energy and 

 Mineral Resources, Water Resources, and Land and Recreation Re- 

 sources are identified at the top line management echelon. 



Fisheries is a special case, since its terrestrial counterpart is in a different 

 Department, Agriculture. Also, although both NOAA's National Marine 

 Fisheries Service and Interior's Bureau of Sport Fisheries and Wildlife 

 have competence that would contribute to reasonable U.S. development 

 and conservation goals, the global reach of fisheries problems is such as to 

 suggest a high level spot where its voice will not be lost. 



The New Emphasis 



Given all this, our recommendations for marine and atmospheric af- 

 fairs differ from those of the Reorganization Program Papers of 1972 pri- 

 marily in the expansion of the role and program responsibilities of the 

 Administrator for Oceanic, Atmospheric, and Earth Sciences, the estab- 

 lishment of a major additional function (that of marine affairs multiple- 

 use coordination and regulation), and the establishment of an office of 

 marine living resources. 



We recognize that it takes time both to form a new Department and 

 to have it evolve into an effective working unit once formed. NACOA in- 

 tends to continue its discussion and commentary during all of this process.- 

 But for now, making the right kind of a start is the pressing national 

 business. 



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