Lyndon B. Johnson photo

Message to the Congress Transmitting First Report on Marine Resources and Engineering Development.

March 09, 1967

To the Congress of the United States:

I am pleased to report on the marine science activities of the Federal Government.

The resources of the oceans can help us meet many of the challenges that face our nation and the world today.

--The vast food reserves of the sea must be developed to help end the tragic cycle of famine and despair.

--The continuing pollution and erosion of our seashores, bays, estuaries and Great Lakes must be arrested and reversed to safeguard the health of our people and to protect the resources of the sea.

--The influence of oceans on the environment must be understood so that we may improve the long-term forecasting of storms, weather and sea conditions; protect life and property in coastal areas; and improve the prediction of rainfall in the interior.

--The wealth of the ocean floor must be freed for the benefit of all people.

--Finally, the seas must be used as path ways to improved international understanding and cooperation.

The great potential of the seas has not gone unnoticed. During the past six years, we have invested increasingly in the development of marine scientific and technical manpower, ships, and facilities. The quality of our research fleet, deep sea vessels, and laboratories is unsurpassed. The small but growing corps of highly trained specialists provides a strong creative base for our marine science and technology.

The 89th Congress also responded to the challenge of the oceans by enacting:

--The Marine Resources and Engineering Development Act which provides a stronger policy and organization framework and gives new momentum to our marine science activities.

--The Sea Grant College and Program Act, which will improve our capabilities for training and research in marine sciences and engineering.

--The Act authorizing pilot plants for the production of fish protein as a usable source of food.1

1 Fish Protein Concentrate Act (Public Law 89701; 80 Stat. 1089).

The new National Council on Marine Resources and Engineering Development, chaired by the Vice President, has made significant progress in carrying out its responsibilities for planning and coordinating the Nation's marine science activities. In consultation with the President's Science Advisory Committee, the National Academy of Sciences and other agencies of the Federal Government, the Council has reviewed our current work and has identified the areas in which action should be taken. We must:

--Launch a pilot program to assist the protein-deficient countries of the world in increasing their capacity for using the fish resources of the seas.

--Implement the Sea Grant College and Program Act to strengthen oceanographic engineering, expand applied research and improve technical information activities.

--Accelerate studies to improve the collection, storage, retrieval, and dissemination of oceanographic data.

--Expand ocean observation systems to improve near-shore weather prediction services, and study ways to make more accurate long-range predictions of precipitation levels and drought conditions.

--Study the Chesapeake Bay to determine the effects of estuarine pollution on shellfish, health, recreation, and beauty, and to provide a basis for remedial measures.

--Explore off-shore solid mineral deposits.

--Improve technology and engineering for work at great ocean depths.

--Equip a new Coast Guard ship to conduct oceanographic research in sub-Arctic waters.

Details of these programs are set forth in the accompanying report of the National Council on Marine Resources and Engineering Development.

I have this year recommended to the Congress a 13 % increase--from $409 million to $462 million--in appropriations to support marine science activities. These funds will permit us to expand our efforts to understand the sea and develop its vast resources. They will enhance the capabilities of local government, universities and private industry to join in this vital enterprise. They will enable us to support the important new efforts recommended by the National Council on Marine Resources and Engineering Development.

I urge the Congress to provide the necessary funds to support these important efforts.

In January, I appointed nineteen distinguished Americans, including four Members of Congress, to serve as members and advisers of the Commission on Marine Science, Engineering, and Resources. This Commission will complement the activities of the National Council on Marine Resources and Engineering Development, by providing impartial insights into the strengths and weaknesses of our marine science programs.

The Commission will be called upon to identify still more opportunities for a concerted public and private effort--to develop the resources of the sea through a creative and cooperative partnership of government, industry, and the academic community.

The depth of the sea is a new environment for man's exploration and development, just as crossing the West was a challenge in centuries past.

We shall encounter that environment with the same conviction and pioneering spirit that propelled ships from the Old to the New World.

We shall bring to the challenge of the ocean depths--as we have brought to the challenge of outer space--a determination to work with all Nations to develop the seas for the benefit of mankind.

LYNDON B. JOHNSON

The White House

March 9, 1967

Note: The report is entitled "Marine Science Affairs--A Year of Transition; The First Report of the President to the Congress on Marine Resources and Engineering Development" (Government Printing Office, 157 pp.).

Lyndon B. Johnson, Message to the Congress Transmitting First Report on Marine Resources and Engineering Development. Online by Gerhard Peters and John T. Woolley, The American Presidency Project https://www.presidency.ucsb.edu/node/238060

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