parts of the deep ocean have virtually no motion. The nerve gas which 

 is dumped into the South Atlantic may still be tliere 10,000 yeare from 

 today. 



The dangers are most acute in the waters close to our shores. The 

 nearby Chesapeake Bay is one of the most important estuaries in the 

 world for the production of fish and shellfish. But each year we hear 

 of pollution incidents which take an ever-widening toll of sea life. 

 And just the other day, New Jersey was forced to close more than 

 5,000 acres of shellfish waters in the Delaware Bay because of 

 pollution. 



Last summer, the United States sent a distinguished delegation to the 

 United Nations Conference on the Human Environment in Stockholm, 

 Sweden. Senator Magnuson, the chairman of this committee, was a 

 member of that delegation. It has been a year since that meeting, and 

 one is forced to conclude that the wheels of international machinery 

 turn very slowly. Not much has been done, and yet so much must be 

 accomplished in a short time. 



Our first witness this morning is Dr. Robert M. "Wliite, Adminis- 

 trator of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. Im- 

 mediately after he is finished, we shall hoar from Dr. Stever of the 

 National Science Foundation, and our other distinguished witnesses. 



Are you going to bring your jury with you ? 



STATEMENT OF DR. ROBEET M. WHITE, ADMINISTRATOR, NA- 

 TIONAL OCEANIC AND ATMOSPHERIC ADMINISTRATION, DE- 

 PARTMENT OF COMMERCE; ACCOMPANIED BY DR. WILLIAM 

 ARON; AND JAMES BRENNAN, GENERAL COUNSEL 



Dr. "White. Yes, Mr. Chairman. 



Mr. Chairman and members of the committee, I would like to intro- 

 duce my colleagues. I have Dr. William Aron; and on my right, 

 James Brennan, who is our General Comisel. 



I am pleased to have the opportunity to appear here today to 

 testify on the problems of ocean pollution and on NOAA's programs to 

 address those problems. 



Your committee's inquiry into this matter is timely and welcome. 

 The International Conference on Ocean Pollution sponsored by the 

 committee in the fall of 1971 yielded a number of Avide-ranging and 

 thought-provoking views on pollution and the future of the Avorld's 

 oceans. We look forward to hearing the views of those who will be 

 testifying here this week. 



Tlie U.N. Conference on Human Environment last year, in address- 

 ing environmental questions of global concern, focused the attention 

 of the world community on ocean pollution. As you know, that con- 

 ference set in motion a series of actions to address these problems. 



A prime example was the iiitei-national convention on ocean dump- 

 ing signed in Tendon last winter. I will be leaving after this hearing 

 to attend the first meeting of the U.N. Environmental Program Gov- 

 erning Council, in whicli we will consider implementation of such 

 nx'asures as a global monitoring program. 



The Intergovernmental Maritime Consultative Organization of the 

 TTnit^d Nations will be meeting tliis October to consider a convention 

 concerning vessel discharges of oil and other pollutants at sea. All 



