There are many conferences, workshops and meetings annually around the world, each emphasizing a specialty area for scientific exploration and research. Yet in very few instances, if at all, do the multidisciplinary aspects of science get presented so one may see the diversity of dependencies these seemingly disparate disciplines actually have. The Explorers Club and the U. S. National Park Service collaborated to make a first attempt at what will continue to be an "ocean pulse'" effort; conferences combining the aquaculture sciences; the search for underwater antiquities and the marinelbio-technologies utilized to explore these areas. The purpose has been to bring together not just academicians to talk about their finding in the field or the laboratory, but to provide a forum for the practical applications of "technology" to expanding our worlds fisheries as well as to continue to explore our world's oceans; the earth's truly last frontier. After everything is said and done, we still know precious little about our ocean environments. Their influences on our lives are monumental and yet we continue to be very parochial and conservative in our dedication to exploring their depths and resources. We feel confident that this initial effort by our respective groups to awaken a realization in the public and private sectors of the need for a cross-disciplinary approach to scientific research in the marine environment, is a necessity as we approach the 21 st century. Kevin C.

Springer Book Archives

Aquaculture of the World Oceans-Is the Future at Our Doorstep? Fish as a Foodstuff-a Catch 22: IS Aquaculture a Solution? R.B. Abel. Underwater Technology Applications to Ocean Exploration: The Impact of Armed Forces on the Development of Marine Technology: A Look Back-A Look Ahead; D.R. Chandler. Precise Target Strength Pattern Measurement in an Indoor Tank; K. Sawada, et al. Advances in the Practical Application of underwater Technology: A Comparison of the Lost Hydrogen Bomb 91966) and TWA Flight 800 (1996) Search and Recovery Operations and Technologies; W.C. Phoel. Human Diving Technology: From Ocean Exploitation to Marine Science; M. Okamoto. New Biotechnological Applications to Fisheries' Aquaculture: The Current Status of Brain-Pituitary-Gonad Axis Physiology in Fishes and its Manipulation During Controlled Reproduction; M.P. Schreibman, L. Magliulo-Cepriano. Underwater Archaeological Applications and Advances: Marine Archaeology on the White Sea; N.A. Demidenko, I.V. Divakov. Conclusion: Ocean Beats Out Space, Four to One!; G.C. Ray. 9 Additional Articles. Index.