A. ORGANIZATION AND HISTORY 



The International Cooperative Investigations of the Tropical 

 Atlantic (ICTTA) evolved from a proposal by the Commission for 

 Technical Cooperation in Africa (CCTA) to conduct trawling invest- 

 igations in West African waters from the mouth of the Congo River 

 north to Dakar., Senegal. Early in 1961 the Bureau of Commercial 

 Fisheries proposed that the Bureau cooperate with CCTA by making 

 a study of the pelagic areas of the Gulf of Guinea. The interest 

 of other oceanographic and fishery research organizations in this 

 area and in adjacent areas of the Tropical Atlantic led to a meeting 

 in February 1962 of representatives from various United States,, 

 Argentine,, and Brazilian activities. A plan for a multiple vessel 

 investigation of the Tropical Atlantic was developed at that 

 meeting and subsequently presented to the Intergovernmental Oceano- 

 graphic Commission for consideration as an international effort. 

 In June 1962 representatives from 17 member nations met in Washington 

 D.C. to prepare detailed plans and schedules for the ICITA. 

 Approved and formally adopted by the Second Session of the IOC in 

 September 1962, the ICITA program consisted of a mid-winter 

 (EQUALANT I) and a mid-summer (EQJJALANT II) multiple-vessel survey 

 of the Tropical Atlantic 3 18 N to 18 S. latitudes between the 

 coasts of Africa and South America,, 



