tion totaled 1.63 trillion cubic feet, slightly less than 6 percent of Free World demand. Ten years ago only five countries conducted offshore drilling; today over 80 countries are interested in the resources of their Continental Shelves.

Income to the Federal Government derived from offshore leases and royalties is discussed in Chapter VII.

The demand for minerals is also increasing rapidly. The U.S. domestic demand for many minerals is expected to double by 1985 and perhaps triple by 2000. Between 1966 and the year 2000, world consumption of non-fuel minerals may increase five-fold. Competition for the world's mineral resources will become more intense as industrialization of the developing countries progresses.

While the mineral industries of the United States are among the most heavily capitalized and technologically advanced, the combination of high wage scales and depletion of high-grade domestic reserves of some minerals is making the United States a high-cost mining economy. In recent years domestic mining industries have frequently encountered difficulty in competing with cheaper foreign sources of supply. Clearly, in the future, if mineral demands are to be satisfied without increase in market cost, larger quantities of some commodities will have to be imported. At the same time, in important instances, the United States produces minerals that compete successfully for markets abroad.

Cumulative U.S. and world demand versus U.S. and world reserves and resources for about 30 mineral commodities that may occur on the Continental Shelf is depicted in Table II-6. It is evident from these data that new sources of supply for many mineral commodities will be needed to meet the projected demands and insure the security and economic viability of the United States.

The oceans represent such a potential source. Extensive deposits of phosphorites; metalliferous muds rich in copper, zinc, and other metals; manganese nodules containing cobalt, nickel, and copper; gold, tin, platinum, and other heavy minerals; and sand and gravel exist on and beyond the Continental Shelf. But present knowledge of the extent of these resources and their distribution is limited.

The growing worldwide demand for resources, the unexplored areas of the Continental Shelf with geological continuity with adjacent land areas which have yielded mineral wealth, and the scattered positive indications. that resources exist, all direct attention to learning more about non-living resources under the sea. The Continental Shelf is thus a logical focus for a new era of systematic surveys to determine the presence, distribution, and richness of seabed deposits.

4

AREA OF DRILLING ACTIVITY

SOURCE OFFSHORE MAGAZINE, DEPARTMENT OF INTERIOR

Table 11-6-United States and World Land Reserves and Resources of Some Metals and Nonmetals That Occur on the Continental Shelves

• Minable reserves are materials that may or may not be completely explored but that may be quantita tively estimated and are considered to be economically exploitable at the time of the estimate.

• Resources are materials other than reserves that are prospectively usable and include undiscovered recoverable resources as well as those whose exploitation requires more favorable economic conditions. Unknown. Vast. • Several billion. Demand figures include a significant quantity of recycled metal. Very large.

Source: Department of Interior.

Intensified International Interest in the Oceans

Most of the world's 138 nations front on the oceans and are increasingly attempting to gain their stake in the sea. Many of these countries are new and developing and are entering the international ocean arena for the first time. All these nations-and the landlocked countries as well-are interested in the new possibilities the seas hold for improving their economies. With nations using the sea more intensively, national rivalries and conflicts could arise to inhibit the development of marine resources.

Mounting international interest and activity in the oceans are clearly reflected in the results of a U.N. poll last year of its member States requesting information on ocean activities. Of 58 nations responding to the questionnaire:

-52 were doing some basic or applied marine research;

-42 had nautical charting programs;

-16 operated position fixing systems or performed related navigational services;

-20 monitored or forecast physical ocean conditions;

-12 monitored and forecast pollutants;

-37 explored, monitored, and forecast fish stocks;

-21 undertook submarine geological and geophysical surveys; and

-19 were concerned with modifications of coasts and channels.

As to using the sea:

-45 engaged in fishing;

-9 exploited offshore petroleum and gas resources;

-14 used the ocean for recreation;

-13 exploited minerals from ocean water and the seabed;

-5 extracted sand and gravel from the sea;

-4 utilized the ocean for

power; and

-7 disposed of wastes in the ocean.

The prospect of exploiting the seas has been magnified in the activities and discussions of the international community, particularly in the General Assembly of the United Nations, which is now a main focus for international ocean interest. The desire of nations to obtain membership on the recently created 42-nation U.N. Standing Committee on the Seabed and the unanimous U.N. endorsement of an expanded international program of ocean exploration with an increased role for the Intergovernmental Oceanographic Commission stirred unprecedented interest in the oceans last fall at the United Nations. Figure II-14 identifies the U.N. bodies with major responsibilities in the marine sciences.

As examples of the interest of nations in these activities, 55 countries participate in the activities of the FAO Committee on Fisheries, 60 countries are members of the Intergovernmental Maritime Consultative Organiza

tion, and the membership of the Intergovernmental Oceanographic Commission has increased by 50 percent to more than 60 in less than three years. Over the years men have learned to cooperate in using the seas, particularly in the use of nearby seas that influence several adjacent nations. Figure II-15 presents a selected group of intergovernmental regional organizations developed in recent years and now active in promoting cooperative marine activities. But the mounting interest of the world community, new technological achievements and new uses of the seas, and the changing political complexion suggest that the ocean may become more important than ever before as a source of national power and dispute. While the oceans can yield world-wide benefits, they can also create global havoc. Intensified ocean activities must be conducted within a framework of law and cooperation or they will inevitably lead to conflicts and debilitating rivalries.

New issues are emerging. Already, as shown in Appendix C-4, some coastal States have asserted national jurisdiction hundreds of miles seaward, eroding the traditional freedom of navigation of the seas. As man moves into the deep oceans he encounters new questions of jurisdiction over the seabed, and he seeks new legal principles to guide its development and use. As high seas fishing stocks become accessible to more nations, tradition is giving way to internationally reached agreements. As use of the ocean increases, the chances of disturbing the natural balance of the seas multiply-particularly through pollution which acts to the detriment of all users.

Thus, a view of the oceans requires not only an appraisal of scientific and technological opportunities, but also an awareness of changing national relationships and interests. The accelerating pace of oceanic developments makes it necessary for nations to intensify their efforts to promote world understanding and peace, to reduce conflict and rivalry, and to advance world order through increased multilateral, regional, and bilateral cooperation in the oceans. This unique arena where the interests of nations converge offers multiple opportunities for cooperative endeavors, and in the years ahead increased use of the oceans will be to a very large extent dependent upon successful statesmanship.

A Shield and a Bond for National Security

A nation's strength springs from many sources-political, economic, military, and scientific-and all aspects of national growth in a sense contribute to national security. Historically the oceans have played important military roles as a shield for defense, a springboard for attack, and a lifeline for sup