Marine Science Affairs

DEAR MR. PRESIDENT:

I am pleased to forward to you the first report of the National Council on Marine Resources and Engineering Development, entitled “Marine Science Affairs-A Year of Transition."

This report describes current and proposed Federal programs within the scope of the Marine Resources and Engineering Development Act, and presents the rationale and funding requirements of $462 million for the next fiscal year.

The report also contains the Council's initial findings and recommendations to utilize scientific knowledge of the seas and the Great Lakes more effectively to meet national goals. These recommendations were prepared after reviewing proposals from your Science Advisory Committee, Federal agencies, and others, and after evaluating the content and balance of current efforts. A consensus was obtained in defining nine areas that immediately deserve special emphasis in designating agencies' responsibilities and in strengthening coordination for programs that increasingly cross agency lines.

In short, this report sets forth a perspective to show how a more deliberate study and use of our marine environment may make this country and the world a better place in which to live. It also sets the stage for new opportunities to approach the major questions of world order, starvation and urban development, and for looking ahead to marine science contributions to help resolve problems in the decades