1 DR. GRASSLE: Just drilling activity near a canyon rim. 



2 DR. VALENTINE: We are talking about the north Atlantic. 



3 DR. KRAEUTER: I would not want to restrict them to that. I would 



4 rather say canyon rim--and if they happen to get one in the mid- 



5 Atlantic-- 



6 DR. GRASSLE: If drilling activity occurs in close proximity to 



7 the--what was that word--margin or--canyon boundary--it should be 



8 monitored. 



9 (Simultaneous discussion.) 



10 DR. VALENTINE: Is that what we mean? Take a few samples? 



11 DR. GRASSLE: No. 



12 DR. COOPER: From the fisheries point of view, I think that you 



13 would certainly want to add some process-oriented aspects to that. 



14 DR. KRAEUTER: What would the States want? 



15 MR. VILD: I would think so, but although we would like to see an 



16 emphasis on fisheries it would not be the only thing that would be 



17 interesting. 



18 DR. BOTHNER: Instead of just mentioning, prior to exploratory 



19 drilling, why not say "prior to lease sales"--you know, that just 



20 precedes the drilling by a certain amount of time, which is of course of 



21 the essence. 



22 DR. GRASSLE: If you say drilling activity, it includes leasing. 



23 DR. KRAEUTER: Lease sales are too far in the future, you really 



24 do not know what you are talking about there. 



25 DR. BOTHNER: They won't be drilled before they are sold. 



26 DR. GRASSLE: Drilling activity is the only thing we looked at. 



27 DR. KRAEUTER: You could have a lease sale and the companies may 



28 choose not to drill, and they just give it back. It is wasting our 



29 money doing studies where nothing is going to happen. 



30 DR. VALENTINE: I think that, as far as this applying to anything, 



31 that they would fulfill the "obligation" by studying drilling near any 



32 canyon in the world doesn't really apply, because our whole discussion 



33 has been directed toward the north Atlantic submarine canyons, and they 



426 



