is an excellent concept through which this major 

 goal can be achieved. 



IV. BASIC SCIENCE-KEY TO ACTION 



The principal programs advocated by the Com- 

 mission go to the heart of important segments of 

 our National life. They would be seriously im- 

 peded—and in some cases defeated— by ignorance 

 of basic oceanic processes. The acquisition of 

 fundamental knowledge represents the only hope 

 of success. 



A. Basic Science and the Near Shore Waters 



The effective use of U.S. coastal and estuarine 

 zones and the Great Lakes is among our most 

 urgent marine problems; these are some of the 

 most valuable areas in the Nation. There are many 

 conflicts among uses and users, and a prerequisite 

 for any rational use of these waters is an under- 

 standing of the consequences of one use on others. 

 In many cases, necessary knowledge is lacking and 

 here the panel senses a great need for action. 



Recommendation: 



A much expanded basic research effort should be 

 instituted in all marine science problems related to 

 estuaries, coastal zones and the Great Lakes, the 

 effects of poUution, and the effects of changes in 

 the physical system on living resources. 



I. Changing the Shape of the Coast 



Much of our coastline is considered poorly 

 protected or endangered, although the Nation has 

 invested substantially in its upkeep. It is being 

 eroded both by nature and man. It is necessary to 

 predict more precisely the consequences of 

 nature's actions and man's. There is a requirement 

 to know much more about the physical processes 

 that shape our coastlines and estuaries. 



Recommendation : 



Each Federal agency concerned with near shore 

 waters should devote a considerably higher per 

 cent of its funds to basic research in the physical 

 processes which shape our coastlines and estuaries. 

 This will insure the avaUability of essential knowl- 



edge necessary to plan and implement programs 

 for their protection and preservation. 



2. Polluting the Waters 



Man has brought profound upheaval in the 

 natural balance of our environmental forces, an 

 upheaval which perils his own well-being and 

 which may pose even greater danger in the future. 

 Environmental changes are usually gradual but 

 they are also seldom soon reversible simply by 

 ceasing the activities that generated them. The 

 estuaries and the Great Lakes are seriously af- 

 fected by waterborne pollution. 



Attack on these problems must be accompanied 

 by an increased level of basic research on the 

 dynamics of estuarine waters, identification of 

 pollutants, and the tracing of their effects. The 

 problem of marine pollution cannot be solved in 

 isolation from the more general problem of wider 

 waste management and control. Whatever solu- 

 tions are proposed for the whole spectrum of 

 envirormiental pollution, key elements of knowl- 

 edge must be available on the processes in estua- 

 rine and near shore environments. 



Recommendation: 



The Nation should imdertake a much enhanced 

 program of basic research into the dynamics of 

 estuarine waters, the identification of specific 

 pollutants and the tracing of their effects, both on 

 individual species and ecosystems, and on the 

 mechanisms through which organisms in the estua- 

 rine ecosystem take up and accumulate various 

 kinds of pollutants. 



3. Fish Habitats 



The conservation and management of fisheries 

 is vitally dependent upon knowledge of the near 

 shore environment as habitats. The relationship of 

 the biota to physical changes in the estuarine 

 environment constitutes a major problem. Careful 

 research on habitat preference and the effects of 

 natural and man-made disturbances are needed. 



Such information cannot be obtained over the 

 short term. The Nation needs natural laboratories 

 for long-term study of the rhythms and relation- 

 ships governing the estuarine environment. It is 

 urgent that the Nation set aside enough such 

 estuaries to provide these natural laboratories. 



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