Impacts of Biotechnology on
 Marine and Environmental Sciences

 Rita R. Colwell
 Department of Microbiology
 University of Maryland
 College Park, Maryland

 Dramatic changes are taking place in oceanography and marine sci-
ences, and the economic value of research underway in applying biotech-
nology to these fields should not be understated. Shellfish harvests repre-
sent income of millions of dollars each year for coastal states, including
Florida, California, Texas, and Maryland. Worldwide, notably in Asian
countries, the fisheries industries represent $300 to $400 million each year
in production of seafood and marine products. The state of Maryland has a
special interest in marine biotechnology because of its major natural re-
source, the Chesapeake Bay. Landed harvests of Chesapeake Bay fisheries
can be estimated at about $13 million, and significantly more, if one takes
into account all of the auxiliary activities on the Chesapeake Bay and their
value to the state. The economic value, therefore, approaches the billion
dollar a year range. Thus, fisheries, as an industry, is significant on an
economic basis, even without considering fish as a source of protein for
millions of people each year.
 A few examples of the value of marine biotechnology in enhancing fish-
eries' production and the maritime industries will be discussed in this pa-
per. Excellent examples of the potential of marine biotechnology applied
to the shellfish industry include the work of Dr. Daniel Morse and his
colleagues at Santa Barbara, and the oyster studies underway at the Uni-
versity of Maryland. In these cases, genomic libraries for the abalone and
oyster, respectively, have been established.
 In addition to genetic engineering of shellfish, a great deal of work is
being done on fish. Although the latter is not covered in detail here, it must
be pointed out that genetic engineering of fish represents a very active area
of research. Japanese scientists have reported successful cloning of the
growth hormone in salmon. Scientists working in California have also re-
ported, independently, the cloning of the salmon growth hormone. At
Johns Hopkins University and the University of Maryland, a team of scien-
tists have cloned the growth hormone in trout. A group of scientists in
Vancouver, Canada, demonstrated the use of growth hormone to obtain