Chapter 2 Present Status and Outlook for Marine Industries 
|. PROFILE OF PRESENT INDUSTRIAL AC- 
TIVITIES 
The ocean industries are a heterogeneous group 
with a multitude of interests. In size, the activities 
vary from a major petroleum company operating 
many large offshore oil and gas fields to an 
independent fisherman earning less than $2,000 
per year. 
Chapter 4 reviews in greater detail the status 
and peculiar problems of several industries engaged 
in Ocean resource recovery or use of the sea. 
The following table depicts the status of domes- 
tic ocean industries in two broad categories— 
existing and future. It lists only those that use the 
ocean directly, as contrasted with such support 
industries as diving or instrument manufacture. 
Table 1 also takes into account that some seg- 
ments of an industry fall into different categories. 
Thus, mining offshore sand, gravel, and oyster shells 
represents a mature segment of an ocean industry. 
On the other hand, offshore placer mining is a 
near-term, promising industry and sub-bottom 
mining (mining of deposits within the bedrock) is 
not envisioned until much later. 
There are tremendous differences in present 
and anticipated rates of growth of ocean indus- 
tries. Although all categories of ocean enterprise 
share common problems, distinct differences exist 
in their operating requirements, investment, degree 
of competition, and relationship with Govern- 
ment. Moreover, the needs of some industries such 
as fishing, vary in nature and degree from segment 
to segment. 
Government action to foster development of 
specific industries must be flexible enough to take 
this heterogeneity into account. Thus, certain 
existing Federal policies and programs may need 
no more than minor adjustments for industries 
that are mature and have a healthy growth rate; 
for example, little or no direct aid is needed to 
boost oil and gas production on the Continental 
Shelf. On the other hand, where a technology with 
great potential has just begun to advance, such as 
desalination, the Government’s assistance in re- 
search and development and participation in pro- 
totype construction might be decisive in maintain- 
ing the industry’s initial momentum. Occasionally, 
Table 1 
PRESENT STATUS OF DOMESTIC 
OCEAN INDUSTRIES 
Type Examples 
Existing Industries 
Mature, healthy, 
and growing 
Continental shelf oil 
and gas 
Chemical extraction 
from sea water 
Mining of sand, gravel, 
sulfur 
Shrimp and tuna fishing 
Surface marine recrea- 
tion 
Desalination 
Bulk and container 
transportation systems 
and associated termi- 
nals 
Aquaculture, fresh 
water and estuarine 
Underwater recreation 
Early stage of 
growth 
Mature, but static 
Most segments of fish- 
or declining i 
ing 
Merchant shipbuilding 
Merchant shipping 
(U.S.-flag vessels) 
Future Industries 
Near-term promis- 
ing (where near- 
term is up to 15 
years) 
Mining of placer min- 
erals 
Oil and gas beyond the 
continental shelf 
Sub-bottom mining 
(excluding sulfur) 
Aquaculture, open 
ocean 
Deep water mining 
Power generation from 
waves, currents, tides, 
and thermal differ- 
ences 
Long-range 
positive action of a fiscal, legal/regulatory, or 
technological character might be needed, as in the 
steadily deteriorating groundfish fishery in view of 
V-7 
