[Our Nation and the Sea. A Plan for National Action. Report of the Commission on Marine Science, Engineering and Resources. United States Government Printing Office, Washington, D.C., 305 pp., January 1969]

Our Nation and The Sea

A Plan for
National Action

Report of the Commission
on Marine Science,
Engineering and Resources

United States Government Printing Office
Washington, D.C.
January 1969

To the President and the Members of Congress:

I have the honor to present the final report of the Commission on Marine Science, Engineering and Resources, the establishment of which was authorized by Public Law 89-454, enacted by Congress on June 17, 1966. The members of the Commission were appointed by the President on January 9,1967.

In response to its mandate, the Commission has undertaken an intensive investigation of a broad array of marine problems ranging from the preservation of our coastal shores and estuaries to the more effective use of the vast resources that lie within and below the sea. The recommendations which have emerged from this study constitute a program which we believe will assure the advancement of a national capability in the oceans and go far towards meeting the inevitable needs of the future.

These recommendations are the product of nearly two years of study and discussion, and they express the combined judgment of the entire Commission. On all major issues there has been unanimous concurrence, although in formulating recommendations relating to government organization it has seemed proper for three members of the Commission to abstain--Undersecretary of the Navy, Charles F. Baird; Assistant Secretary, Water Pollution Control, Department of the Interior, Frank C. DiLuzio; and the Administrator, Environmental Science Services Administration, Department of Commerce, Robert M. White. These members were appointed as representatives from the Government but served on the Commission in their individual capacities as specified by statute. Their knowledge and experience in governmental and organizational problems were freely drawn upon by the Commission in its deliberations. However, recognizing that the organizational proposals of the Commission vitally affect the departments which they serve in their official roles, they have abstained from taking a position with respect to the final recommendations on these particular proposals as outlined in Chapter 7 and summarized or mentioned elsewhere in the report.

J. A. STRATTON
Chairman

JANUARY 9, 1969

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Members of the
Commission

Julius A. Stratton
Chairman
The Ford Foundation

Vice-Chairman
Richard A. Geyer
Head
Department of Oceanography
Texas A&M University

David A. Adams ¹
Commissioner of Fisheries
North Carolina Department of
Conservation and Development

Carl A. Auerbach
Professor of Law
University of Minnesota

Charles F. Baird²
Under Secretary of the Navy

Jacob Blaustein
Director
Standard Oil Company (Indiana)

James A. Crutchfield
Professor of Economics
University of Washington

Frank C. DiLuzio¹
Assistant Secretary - Water Pollution Control
U.S. Department of the Interior

Leon Jaworski
Attorney
Fulbright, Crooker, Freeman,
Bates and Jaworski

John A. Knauss
Dean
Graduate School of Oceanography
University of Rhode Island

John H. Perry, Jr.
President
Perry Publications, Inc.

Taylor A. Pryor
President
The Oceanic Foundation

George E. Reedy¹
President
Struthers Research and Development Corp.

George H. Sullivan, M.D.
Consulting Scientist
General Electric Reentry Systems

Robert M. White
Administrator
Environmental Science Services
Administration
U.S. Department of Commerce

Congressional Advisers
Norris Cotton
U.S. Senator

Warren G. Magnuson
U.S. Senator

Alton A. Lennon
U.S. Representative

Charles A. Mosher
U.S. Representative

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Staff

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Acknowledgements

The Marine Resources and Engineering Development Act of 1966 wisely made provision for Congressional advisers to the Commission. We are most grateful to Senator Warren G. Magnuson of Washington, Senator Norris Cotton of New Hampshire, Congressman Alton A. Lennon of North Carolina, and Congressman Charles A. Mosher of Ohio for their counsel, their encouragement, and their support.

This has been a working commission, and from the outset every member has been actively and continuously engaged. But the completion of a task of such magnitude and complexity could never have been accomplished without the aid of a staff that has worked skillfully, effectively, and with extraordinary dedication. From the beginning to the end, this entire endeavor has profited from the leadership of our Executive Director, Samuel A. Lawrence, who has won the respect and admiration of all who worked with him. To Dr. Lawrence and to each member of our staff, the Commission expresses its profound thanks.