May I say a few words about sanctuaries in Bays and Estuaries. These semiclosed bodies of seawater are believed to be the nursery grounds for fishes and shrimp of commercial and of biological interest. They generally are warm, relative to the adjacent seas, highly productive shallow bodies of water having areas of plant growth sufficient to protect tiny fishery organisms from their multiplicity of predators. Since 1930 the Corps of Engineers has been actively engaged in developing methods of coastal land protection. The Corps has discharged its responsibility very well in developing bulkheads, seawalls, revetments, groins, jetties, and breakwaters, and in restoring and nourishing sand dunes and beaches. The development and maintenance of the inland waterway system was a remarkably useful concept and immensely valuable conservator of coastal life and property. Corps practices and devices remove some of the strictures of nature and balance at least some of the naturally destructive forces of oceanic storms against human facilities with greatly improved protective mechanisms.

Public activity in estuaries includes very significant changes resulting from real estate development. Tampa Bay has almost no natural area, being a planned real estate recovery and development of immense value. The experience in Tampa is almost repeated in the Miami area. Other cities are beginning to recognize the financial gain from dredging and filling for real estate development.

The forces underway are such that it is of urgent importance that estuaries be set aside to maintain marine fisheries and to conserve areas of estuarine wilderness for education, research and recreation of future generations.

As consideration is given to estuaries contiguous to the Continental United States, I urge, Mr. Chairman, that we do not forget the island possessions and trust territories of the United States. The Coral Atolls and lagoons of the tropics serve an equivalent function to those of estuaries as nursery grounds and feeding grounds for oceanic fishes. For the past several years the concept of "atolls for science" and preservation of islands has been given scientific attention. I believe that this Committee should specifically include the examination of island preserves, as they may contribute to the economy of the sea and to the future welfare of the United States and the World.

Recently the U.S. National Academy of Sciences and the Smithsonian Institution engaged in discussions with U.S. Defense Authorities concerning the future of Aldabra Atoll. Located some 640 kilometers off the east coast of Africa, the Atoll serves as the most important habitat of land tortoises measuring up to five feet in diameter and of tiny flightless birds (rails). Almost 10 percent of the wildlife of this Atoll has been found nowhere else on earth. Fortunately for the conservation of these species, the devaluation of the British pound contributed the successful argument in preventing the use of this Atoll as an air base. International or national action is needed to anticipate such actions in the future and to weigh alternatives between biological conservation and military or economic requirements. As an example of the latter I cite the exploitation and subsequent recovery under protection of the fur seal resource of the Pribilof Islands in the North Pacific.

A number of atolls and islands belong to the United States outright. Others are held either solely or jointly in trust for the United Nations. In any future establishment of marine sanctuaries I would hope that it will include preserves in the ocean waters near these land areas.

An important concept is that of "seaward areas". I believe that the difference between the Great Lakes and the Great Oceans is only one of size. The dredging and wastes disposal activities have generally been restricted to coastal waters and man has had impact on relatively an insignificant percentage of the sea floor. Here is an opportunity to be more farsighted than is customary. We can begin now to consider with the other nations of the World how to set aside portions of the sea floor as scientific sanctuaries. We expect to exploit manganese nodules and phosphoritic rocks from the sea floor. Placer deposits of gold and of diamonds are already being exploited at sea. Although harvest of fishery resources is restricted to near surface waters, the harvestable resource has been located at much greater depths than anticipated and man's activities may well influence further biological harvest in the open ocean.

Particularly, I would suggest that "seaward areas" should include unique or exemplary areas of the open ocean basin. Selected seamounts, which arise from the sea floor to near the surface, underseas ridges and mountain ranges, rift valleys and abyssal trenches are each unique features of the floor of the open

ocean.

To summarize, I believe that the national interest would well be served by further consideration of the need to preserve marine areas of varied oceanic

the Council, as you know, by an act of Congress in the last 99 days, I believe.

Dr. GALLER. Yes, sir.

Mr. LENNON. Should we say to them that we extended the life of the Commission and the Council in order that you might do a thorough job in this total field of marine science, including estuaries inland and seaward, and yet the Congress does not have faith and does not believe that the Commission is going to bring a recommendation to the President and the Congress in this field?

Give me your candid judgment about it. It concerns me that they came to us and said, "We are trying to do such a thorough job in every facet of marine science that we want our life extended."

We extended that. They convinced us. And this is one of the things they were mandated to do, make this study and report back to the President and the Congress.

Now, should this subcommittee, the full committee, and the House of Representatives by an overt act of legislation say, "Well, we are not willing to wait and see what you recommend." That is what it comes down to I am afraid in my judgment as an individual. I don't express anybody's judgment but my own.

Dr. GALLER. Mr. Chairman, speaking in all candor, and, if I may, with your indulgence and the indulgence of the subcommittee speak as an individual rather than as an official representative of the Smithsonian Institution for the comment that I am about to make. I have had the great pleasure of working closely both with Dr. Wenk and the NCMRED and Professor Stratton and the National Commission. There is no question in my mind regarding the sincerity of both groups relating to advancing our national best interests in the marine sciences.

I frankly do not know what the priorities are with relation to those two bodies; where they consider marine sanctuaries to be in the priority listing in the roster of many, many other items that come up before them for consideration, so I could not honestly speak with any real authority.

I can only say this, Mr. Chairman: That I and my colleagues, Dr. Wallen in particular, on numerous occasions have invited the attention of both the Council and the Commission to various aspects of what are now being considered under marine sanctuaries, the need to develop areas that could serve as base-line ecological standards and also for the protection of some of our species.

Mr. LENNON. I think you would be interested in a communication received from the Executive Director of the President's Commission on Marine Sciences, Engineering and Resources as related to our inquiry concerning H.R. 11584. This is dated August 23 of last year and the Commission, since that time, has been broken up into a series of committees to conduct hearings throughout the United States in an effort to explore some of the things we are here considering.

The Executive Director in a letter dated August 23, 1967, to the chairman of the full committee, Mr. Garmatz, says this:

The desirability of establishing marine sanctuaries is a matter which will most probably be considered by the Commission on Marine Science, Engineering and Resources in connection with its responsibility for developing a plan for “an adequate national marine science program which will meet present and future needs."

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