Launching of NOAA Ship OSCAR DYSON Oct. 17, 2003 VADM Conrad C. Lautenbacher Jr. (Ret.) Undersecretary of Commerce for Oceans and Atmosphere Good morning! I am delighted to be in Moss Point today for this ceremony. This is a momentous occasion for NOAA as we launch this state-of-the-art vessel and begin a new era in our Nation’s study and management of its marine resources. Thank you all for joining us today. I want to recognize our VIPs: Peggy Dyson-Malson, Oscar Dyson’s wife, and the sponsor of this beautiful ship; Doug Hoedel, Oscar Dyson’s stepson; and Secretary of Commerce, Don Evans. Though he couldn’t be here today, I want to thank him for supporting NOAA’s programs by supporting our budget. I want to thank Senator Ted Stevens for his strong support of NOAA’s programs, and John Rayfield, Dave Whaley, and Matt Paxton of our Congressional committee staffs. Carolyn Floyd the Mayor of Kodiak, and Marty Owen the Harbor Master of Kodiak are here. John Webb from the Department of Commerce. Rear Admiral Evelyn Fields from NOAA’s Marine and Aviation Operations. John Oliver and Dr. Mike Sissenwine from NOAA Fisheries, and all of you here from the NOAA team and your families. I also want to specially thank the management and shipyard workers of Halter Marine. When something as big as this ship slides down the ways, you know a great many people have put in a lot of effort, and they deserve our thanks. As I said a moment ago, this is a very big event for NOAA. The job of successfully managing our fisheries resources is enormous. It’s huge. The US Exclusive Economic Zone is 3.4 million square nautical miles. 950,000 of these are in Alaska alone. America’s EEZ contains enormous potential for this country, potential for jobs, potential for economic growth, and the potential for sources of protein. All of this potential is linked to wise management of resources and sustainable fisheries, and no one understands the need for sustainable fisheries more than the individuals who rely upon fishing for their livelihood. Nearly 85,000 men and women are employed in the seafood processing and wholesaling sectors, and there are upwards of 17 million recreational fishermen. The volume of seafood landings nationwide was more than 9 billion lbs. with a dockside value of $3.1 billion. Alaska’s share of these landings was more than 5 billion lbs. with a dockside value of $811 million. Alaskan Pollock is the Nation’s largest single fishery and is fourth in value, representing 30% of the United States’ commercial harvest. Together commercial and recreational fishing added approximately $60 billion to the US economy in 2002. Those are big numbers by anybody’s measure, and they demonstrate that sustainable fisheries play a significant role in our nation’s economic growth and security. In order to successfully manage America’s vast fisheries resources, we need more complete and accurate scientific data, and we need to collect this data efficiently. We need modern and capable data collection platforms like the OSCAR DYSON. At the beginning of the year, NOAA’s fleet of 15 ships was on average 33 years old. Many of these ships are reaching the end of their useful service lives. NOAA’s oldest fisheries ship, the JOHN COBB, was delivered in February 1950 and is built of wood! If you’re keeping count that’s 53 years ago! The ALBATROSS IV was delivered in November 1962. 41 years ago. The DAVID STARR JORDAN was delivered in November 1965. 38 years ago. The MILLER FREEMAN was delivered in June 1967. 36 years ago. The OREGON II was delivered in August 1967. 36 years ago. The DELAWARE II was delivered in October 1968. 35 years ago. That’s a very distinguished 239 years of service, but we need to replace these technologically obsolete platforms with newer ships capable of performing the advanced measurements required for modern fisheries management. The OSCAR DYSON is the first in a class of four ships that are necessary to support the national management needs for sustainable fisheries. This is going to make a huge difference in taking the United States from a fleet that’s 40 years old to one that’s at the cutting edge and able to manage and properly exploit and conserve our resources. These four DYSON-class ships are designed to greatly exceed the capabilities of the current NOAA fleet with improved scientific capability, and greater speed and endurance. The DYSON-class vessels will be several orders of magnitude quieter than the NOAA Ship MILLER FREEMAN, another fisheries ship working in Alaska. Quiet ships will improve NOAA’s ability to accurately monitor fish stocks without altering their behavior. These new vessels will be capable of conducting hydroacoustic surveys of fish populations at a speed of 11 knots. They will also conduct traditional trawl surveys. Increased survey speed and multi-mission capabilities will result in more efficient and cost-effective data collection in America’s EEZ. And better data will allow more effective ecosystem management. When
construction of this ship is completed next summer, the OSCAR DYSON
will sail to its new home-port of Kodiak to start monitoring the Bering
Sea and Gulf of Alaska ecosystems. I’m very happy to announce that NOAA has exercised its contract option with VT Halter Marine to build the second fisheries survey vessel of this class. Steel-cutting on this second ship began in Pascagoula yesterday. It is scheduled for delivery in mid-2006 when it will begin service in New England. This partnership between VT Halter Marine and NOAA supports more than 150 shipyard and contractor jobs here on the Gulf coast. Launching the OSCAR DYSON and beginning construction of the second vessel are two important steps forward in improving fisheries management. The next steps include building the third and fourth ships of this class for service here in the Gulf and along the West Coast. We need more efficient and cost-effective fisheries survey capabilities in all these geographic regions to meet the ecosystem management needs for sustainable fisheries. I very much want to thank our friends in Congress for their foresight and support in the budget process. Their support has allowed NOAA to embark on these state-of-the-art ship constructions and will enhance our nation’s fisheries management capabilities and economic security. In closing I want to say a few words about Oscar Dyson the man, to explain why it is so fitting to put his name on the hull of NOAA’s newest ship. Oscar Dyson started commercial fishing in 1946 and began a career that made him one of the best-known and most-admired figures in this country’s fishing industry. He was dedicated to managing and improving the fishing industry for the many Alaskans who make their living at sea. Pioneering several commercial fisheries in Alaska, he lived to see them become a huge industry, and a boon to Alaska’s economic development. Oscar Dyson also gave back to fisheries and his country by serving for 13 years on Alaska’s Board of Fisheries and for 9 years on the North Pacific Fishery Management Council. The list of his contributions to fisheries management, his community, his state, and his country is really very remarkable. For this we thank him and his family. We are honored to celebrate his life and achievements by launching this ship in his memory to carry on his work in Alaskan fisheries. Thank you very much!
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