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Man
is now looking
to
the
oceans to pro–
vide aááitional looá
lor hungry millions.
Wi/1 the plan work?
Or
wi/1 it threaten
earth's " last
re–
source"?
by
Jerry W. We bb
B
Y THE YEAR
2000, sea farmers in
diving vessels assisted by remote–
control harvesters are to reap
plants in ocean-bottom seaweed forests,
sorne authorities tell us.
Man-made islands resting on "sea–
lcgs," they tell us, will dot the oceans
of the world to harvest the riches of
the seas. Thc islands will provide stable
harbors from which men will herd fish
like cattle.
People will sit in their submarine
homes and gaze through picture win–
dows at underwater meadows of algae
on which herds of "sea cows" graze.
Deep-sea ranchers using underwater
tractors and submarines wiU reap har–
vests of giant seaweed beds and ride
herd on grazmg fish. Air bubbles rising
from compressed-air hoses would corral
the fattened fish. Suction pipes would
draw the fish to ships above, where they
would be "irradiated" ( preserved) by
radiation doscs, and packaged.
Robot harvesting machines would
gather up migratory schools of fish and
whizz them to processing vessels.
Underwater research centers would dot
the ocean floor - pioneering for future
millions who may well build entire
ocean-bottom communities below the
crowded, polluted surface of the earth!
This is not just science fiction ! All
these ideas have been proposed by
scientists in search of new food sources
for
the
world's ever-growing population.
But how rca listic is that hope? And,
where are we today in terms of ef-
Ambossoclor Co/les•
Photo