397 



is suffering here, that to the boatowiier and to tlie fellow who is going 

 away for Memorial Day, that he can go to Maine like I am looking 

 forward to doing this weekend and, you know, count on good weather; 

 this would mean a lot. 



This would mean a lot to industry and business to know and even 

 he able to control the weather. This, I think, is down the road as a 

 possibility. 



But we do need, I think, a strong, energetic, and well-funded 

 weather research program. I am all for the atmosphere and the en- 

 vironment being brought into oceanography. They are interrelated. 



Mr. BiAGGi. I do not quarrel with the research aspect of it and I 

 agree with you. The point I am making is from where you sit, and 

 from where Mr. Pierce sits, you should address yourselves with the 

 same amount of vigor to selling this so that we have public acceptance. 

 I can foresee resistance. We are finding it now to be one of the most 

 successful programs in the Nation, the NASA program, reaching the 

 moon. It is probably one of the most successful and productive in our 

 Nation and yet we are finding increasing resistance. 



So, it is almost mandatory that the public acceptance facet of your 

 presentation should be really addressed with additional vigor. 



Mr. Pelly. Would you yield. Mr. Biaggi? 



Mr. Biaggi. Yes, sir. 



Mr. Pelly. I am conscious of the fact now that a great deal of 

 thought has been given to malnutrition and there are said to be 16 

 million people in this country that are either hungry or undernour- 

 ished. Yet, I gather from what you have said that you don't see any 

 economic benefit that might be obtained from fish jDrotein plants. 



Well, we have developed an experimental plant to try to lower the 

 cost of this product and we have sent fish protein abroad to be fed to 

 other undernourished people. I think anybody who has studied popu- 

 lation growth and the problems of this terrible situation in which the 

 world finds itself, and the need that we are going to have for fish pro- 

 teins, will conclude it will be one of the most economic and exciting 

 programs if proj)erly presented. 



The private food people said that they didnt have an economic capa- 

 bility to do the experimenting. They so testified before our committee 

 and we provided for a fish protein experimental pilot plant. With all 

 this resource that we have off Noi^th Carolina and the west coast it 

 seems to me that we have a magnificent opportunity for private invest- 

 ment to go in and develop a product for which there is a tremendous 

 need with 16 million hungry people in America. 



So, I think that Wall Street should see the opportunity that exists 

 here and get into this business. 



Thank you. 



Mr. Biaggi. I have no further questions, Mr. Chairman. 



Mr. Lennox. Thank you, sir. 



I think we should recognize the fact that the Department of the In- 

 terior in its oil leases, petroleum, oil, and lubricants, brings in to my 

 recollection somewhere around $600 million to the Federal Treasury 

 each year and that is projected in the next few years to go consider- 

 ably beyond that. 



We must recognize that that is related to the field of marine engi- 

 neering, not necessarily oceanography. 



