366 



the intellectual nourisliment of the programmatic marine sciences. This 

 is especially true of such basic biological disciplines as taxonomy, 

 ecology, bacteriology, paleobiology, as well as invertebrate and verte- 

 brate physiology to name a few. These fields or disciplines should be 

 considered as the underpinnings of oceanography and marine tech- 

 nology, and should be strengthened accordingly. 



Mr. Chairman and members of the subcommittee, I have appreciated 

 the opportunity of coming before you today, and I wish to assure you 

 of my continued admiration and support of your leadership in the de- 

 velopment of our national program of marine sciences and technology. 

 Thank you. 



Mr. LENNOisr. Thank you very much, Doctor. 



Mr. Schadeberg. 



Mr. ScHADEBEEG. Mr. Chairman, I have to admit that I have to learn 

 an awful lot. I think there is a saying in literature some place that, 

 "He who knows not, and knows not that he knows not, is a fool . . , He 

 who knows not, and knows that he knows not, is simple." I am some 

 place in the middle of that. 



I appreciate this opportunity to have men like the doctor here to 

 inform us. 



Doctor, in page 6 you made some statement with regard to the 

 Panama Canal and the Aswan Dam. 



Dr. Galler. Yes, sir. 



Mr. Schadeberg. Could you enlighten me at least as to the possible 

 damages that might result from construction of the dam or construc- 

 tion of the sea level canal ? 



Dr. Galler. With regard to the proposed interoceanic sea level canal, 

 Mr. Congressman, there is a controversy that is heating up betAveen 

 those who feel that we do not have to worry about possible deleterious 

 effects and those who feel that indeed there is a possibility of having 

 some very serious and possibly irreversible changes occur as a result 

 of cutting through and connecting two oceans that have been separated 

 according to estimates by geologists for a period of between 6 and 9 mil- 

 lions of years. In that period of time there may have developed separate 

 but related species of marine organisms, both plants and animals. 



One of the questions that arises, for which we don't have the answer, 

 is what happens when you simply cut through a land bridge and per- 

 mit organisms that have been separated to come together and mix. 

 Are they going to produce hybrids that may in turn wipe out popula- 

 tions of endemic forms that have had some commercial importance? 

 Are they going to become predators on other organisms? Will this 

 permit organisms that we know to be deadly to man to transverse the 

 canal and go from the Pacific into the Cfaribbean and possibly be 

 carried by the Gulf Stream up the coast of North America ? 



We don't know. I submit that the acquisition of these kinds of data 

 and capability of assessment is of paramount importance before we 

 decide to go ahead tampering with the environment. In the case of the 

 Aswan Dam, it has been demonstrated even 'at this early stage that the 

 damming of the River Nile seriously reduces the volume of fresh water 

 and its burden of dissolved orgaiiic nutrients that flows into the eastern, 

 Mediterranean. 



