in that program. All other tourists, more than 6,000, never spend a night on the continent.

Four years ago, as the tourist numbers continued to show a steady rise, the tour operator companies initiated a code of conduct consisting of self-imposed rules to govern tourist visits to the Antarctic. Although these are not mandatory under law, these consist mainly of fundamental guidelines to protect the fauna and flora and are now an essential requirement of membership in IAATO, formed in 1991 to set competition aside and act as a unified organization to ensure that the industry conducts its operation with the environment first and foremost in mind and on a noninterference basis with national science programs. You will find a copy of that code attached at the end of the printed testimony.

The tour operators' mission is to encourage safe and environmentally responsible private-sector cruises and expeditions to the Antarctic; to ensure that the guidelines and conduct are adhered to by all visitors, not only passengers but also staff and crew; and to foster close cooperation between member companies.

For a little background on IAATO, there are presently 12 member companies of IAATO. Nine are U.S.-based, one is Canadian with a U.S. sales office, and two are German. I would like to add that one of the IAATO objectives, as given in the IAATO bylaws, article 2, section 1, is “to support science in Antarctica through cooperation with Antarctic national programs and to provide logistical support for science." I think the tour operators, as a whole, believe, as well, that Antarctica is a laboratory, is there primarily for science investigations, and tourism in some respects is an aside or an add-on activity.

I would like to next briefly say a few words about some of the content of bill S. 1427, as well as a few aspects of tourism which, in fact, are not in the bill. Some of these were forwarded earlier in the printed testimony.

First of all, we agree with other statements here in today's testimony, the National Science Foundation is the best and most effective agency to continue managing scientific activities in Antarctica. And we look forward to cooperating with them in the future, as well as with other agencies such as Commerce, assuming this bill might be effected.

The tour operator companies now under the umbrella of IAATO have had very good relations with NSF in the past, and we recommend that Commerce or any other agency involved with responsibilities of regulating tourism include representatives from the tour industry on any pertinent committees or working groups in an advisory capacity. Our collective experience of decades in the Antarctic would be mutually beneficial, as it would in a capacity on the committee for environmental protection. Article 11 of the environmental protocol provides for the appointment of a representative who may be accompanied by experts and advisors. We might be considered experts on tourism because that, in fact, is the business of tour operators.

We also have not really a problem, but we would like to see a bit more clarification when it comes to putting the ratification into legal terms. The definitions of things like "minor transitory impact" and "dependent and associated ecosystems," as given in the proto

col, article VIII and annex 1, we believe those, obviously, would affect not only science activities, proposed ones, and applications for permits, but for tourism as well. And if you reflect back on my comments about how much time tourists actually spend on the continent and never spend an overnight there, one of those terms, "minor transitory impact," would seem to apply to tourism.

As far as regulations go, we believe the code of conduct or guidelines that have been in effect by tour operators for some years actually constitute more than what the protocol and your bill provide for, and we will continue to conduct operations with those standards in the future.

There are a number of other points I would like to cover, but let me summarize briefly since the red light is on and the bell went off. We have some concerns, and I will list seven very quickly without elaborating.

We are concerned about the types of vessels that go to the Antarctic, as well as your committee is concerned. For example, in the tour industry there are things like ice-strengthened ships, nonicestrengthened ships, icebreakers, private yachts, little ships that have a 38-passenger capacity, big ships that can hold as many as 800. But by mutual agreement within the industry, we will not carry more than 400 to the Antarctic, and so on and so on.

No. 2, there are some tour operators that are not members of our organization, which concern us very much. We do have an outreach to try to at least inform them of what the rules are. We do have concerns about possible overvisitation of sites, that is No. 3.

No. 4, we are concerned about emergency response or contingency plans in the case of something like, let's say, a vessel grounding or that sort of thing, and we have taken steps to alleviate that kind of concern in the future.

We also have concerns about citizen suits. We do not mind citizen suits. We think they are a way of life and can deal with them because if people keep their noses straight they should stay out of trouble, whether it is citizen suit or otherwise.

No. 6, liability. All tour operators carry insurance, obviously, and we believe insurance policies would cover any kinds of liability and for correcting and cleaning up any potential disasters.

And finally, a tourism annex, I think it goes without speaking that nobody wants to be overregulated, and the tourism industry sees no need for a tourism annex for nongovernmental activities, which includes tourism.

That concludes my formal presentation. I am pleased to respond to questions. Thank you.

[The prepared statement of Mr. Splettstoesser follows:]

PREPARED STATEMENT OF JOHN SPLETTSTOESSER

Thank you for the opportunity to address you today on the subject of tourism as it applies to the recently enacted Protocol on Environmental Protection to the Antarctic Treaty. I was a member of the U.S. Delegation at the With Antarctic Treaty Consultative Meeting in Bonn, Germany, in October 1991, at which the Protocol was discussed, as well as at the Workshop on Tourism, which preceded the XVIIth Consultative Meeting in Venice, Italy, in November 1992. I am a geologist by profession, and have spent much of my professional career on Antarctic research, having worked there a total of eight summer seasons, beginning in 1960, on a variety of research projects when I was associated with major U.S. universities. Beginning in 1983 I made my first visit to Antarctica on a tourist vessel, employed as a naturalist

and/or lecturer on geology, glaciology, and history. On a part-time basis, and when my teaching and other schedules have allowed, I have been on a total of 37 cruises to Antarctica during 8 austral summers. Since the International Association of Antarctica Tour Operators (IAATO) was formed in 1991, I have been designated Spokesperson by the members. I want to acknowledge the support and input from the tour operators for the content of today's testimony, and particularly Ms. Victoria Underwood. Ms. Melissa Folks, Secretariat of the IAATO office, also deserves special recognition.

INTRODUCTION

Before I go on to address the parts of the proposed Bill that relate to the views of the tourism industry, I would like to cover a brief background of Antarctica for those who are unfamiliar with the southernmost continent. Geographically, Antarctica is centered around the South Pole, and is surrounded by ocean, whereas in the Arctic, there is a deep ocean at the North Pole surrounded by landmasses, all of which are inhabited. Antarctica has no indigenous population, and apparently never has had any. You might say there is no anthropology connected with Antarctica, at least not yet. In size, Antarctica is about the size of the United States plus Mexico. It is also the coldest continent, with a record low temperature in July 1983 of -1290F (or -89 degrees C), at the Russian base, Vostok. It is nearly covered with a large ice sheet, or glacier, with measured thicknesses of nearly 4,800 meters, or about 15,500 feet. Only about 1 to 2 percent is exposed bedrock (which in fact has provided opportunity for geologists to work there). My work as a geologist has taken me to most parts of what is called West Antarctica, and as a naturalist and/or lecturer on tourist vessels, to nearly all the rest of the coastline of the continent.

PERIOD OF EXPLORATION

Antarctica, the continent, was first sighted in 1820, a time of exploitation and seal hunting. By 1830, fur seals were commercially extinct. James Eights, a geologist from Albany, New York, became the first U.S. scientist to work in Antarctica, in 1829-30. He was the first to discover and report on fossils in Antarctica, and made other significant discoveries in biology. By the end of the 1800's, two expeditions had overwintered in Antarctica, one on a ship, in 1897, and the other on the continent itself in 1899. I was at the camp of the latter overwintering expedition earlier this year, at Cape Adare, where members of a British expedition lived in two wooden buildings that are still there, preserved by the dryness of Antarctica's climate. Some of the expedition names of this period might not be familiar to some of you, but include Gerlach, Borchgrevink, Nordenskjold (a Swedish_geologist), Henryk Arctowski (a Polish geologist), but also Roald Amundsen and Dr. Frederick Cook, the American physician who claimed a few years later that he first climbed Mt. McKinley, and was the first to reach the North Pole, before Robert Peary.

THE HEROIC ERA

The beginning of the current century marked a time of heroic exploration, and also scientific research. Captain Robert Scott had geologists and others on his two expeditions, in 1901 and 1911. Scott's party of 5 reached the South Pole on January 17, 1912, only to find that Amundsen's party had preceded him by 33 days. Admiral Byrd launched major expeditions in Antarctica, in 1929, 1933, and 1939, discovering more land than anyone before him. He was the first to fly an airplane to the South Pole in November 1929, and the first to realize the airplane's potential for exploration, mapping and photography. Douglas Mawson, the Australian geologist, was among the first to reach the South Magnetic Pole, and to climb Mt. Erebus, the 12,400-foot active volcano just 20 miles from the U.S. station of McMurdo. A CONTINENT FOR SCIENCE

The period we are now in in Antarctica can be described as one of science, science, and more science. The International Geophysical Year, in 1957-58, marked a continent-wide effort by 12 nations to study the laboratory known as Antarctica, and the program continues to this day, but now with even more international involvement. An Antarctic Treaty was written in 1959, and ratified in 1961, as a means of ensuring harmonious conduct of all research activities, freedom of access to all parts of Antarctica, a ban on military activities and nuclear testing, and an inspection system to assure compliance with the objectives of the Treaty. The Treaty has increased its membership in its 32-year history, and it still works very well. Many of its amendments have pertained to lessening environmental impacts and protection of the unique wildlife.

Antarctica has changed in the last 35 years. My first job there, as a geology student assistant in 1960, was in a field mapping project in a good-sized mountain

range discovered only the year before. The next year, in 1961-62, I was one of a 4man party in the Ellsworth Mountains, first seen by Lincoln Ellsworth on his historic flight across the continent in 1935. (I was two years old at that time, and I regret that the event went unnoticed.) Our group was the first to set foot there, 26 years later.

It is no longer possible to discover mountain ranges or new terrain. Has everything been discovered in, or about, Antarctica? I doubt it. But I'm not here to talk about things like the "discovery" of the ozone hole, or global warming, or natural antifreeze in fish, or Gondwanaland, all of which are major current topics of study in Antarctica.

TOURISM

Let's talk a little about tourism. It is not known for certain when tourists first visited Antarctica, but there are several documented instances of cruises on South American vessels to the Antarctic Peninsula in the late 1950's. By 1969, Lars-Eric Lindblad had the Lindblad Explorer built, the first ice strengthened vessel constructed specifically for tourism in polar areas. The ship still sails to Antarctica, and I have been a lecturer on her many times in the last 10 years. But, like science and exploration, the tourism picture in Antarctica has also changed. From a single 95passenger ship, the Explorer and a handful of visitors, there have lately been as many as 12 tourist vessels and a total of some 6,500 tourists in each of the last two seasons. The numbers are comparable to the total number of all scientists and support staff at all stations and field camps in summer. Is this anything to be concerned about, 10,000 to 15,000 people on a continent larger than the U.S. and western Europe combined, spread over a 4-month period? I should add that the tourism industry, nearly all of which is ship-based, has no shore facilities, and the total time that tourists actually spend on and in Antarctica in a 4-month summer is less than 1 percent of that of all others.

Nevertheless, any human presence in Antarctica has the potential for a negative impact, especially when one looks at the sites where people live and visit. With a few exceptions, all research stations are on ice-free rocky areas and that's where most of the wildlife is, or was. This conflict of territorial "rights” can have negative effects if not managed properly.

Four years ago, as the tourist numbers continued to show a steady rise, the tour operator companies initiated a "Code of Conduct," consisting of self-imposed rules to govern tourist visits to Antarctica. These consist mainly of fundamental guidelines to protect the fauna and flora, and are now an essential requirement of membership in the International Association of Antarctica Tour Operators, or IAATO, formed in 1991 to set competition aside and act as a unified organization to ensure that the tourism industry conducts its operations with the environment first and foremost in mind, and on a non4nterference basis with national science programs. For further background on the tour operators organization (IAATO), Guidelines for Visitors, a brief history of tourism in Antarctica, and a summary table of ships and passenger numbers from the 1992-93 season, a chapter on this subject will be included along with others in a book entitled ANTARCTIC TOURISM to be published in early 1994 by Pergamon Press as a Special Issue of Annals of Tourism Research.

IAATO

IAATO's mission is to encourage safe and environmentally responsible private-sector cruises and expeditions to Antarctica, to ensure that the guidelines of conduct are adhered to by all visitors (passengers, staff and crew), and to foster close cooperation between member companies. There are presently 12 member companies of IAATO-9 are U.S.-based, 1 is Canadian (with a U.S. sales office), and 2 are German. Eleven companies operate only ship-based tourism, and the twelfth conducts airborne tourism. A list of member companies and addresses follows this text.

During the 1992-93 austral summer season, tourism to the continent was carried out by the widest range of vessels used to date, including private yachts, icestrengthened expedition ships, non-strengthened cruise ships, and icebreakers. Airborne tourism has only slightly added to the total counts of tourists-more than 90 percent of tourists have visited Antarctica by ship. Although tourism has grown from year to year, especially since 1986, in the 35 years since tourists first visited Antarctica, the cumulative total number is still less than the number of tourists who have-in one year-visited the Galapagos Islands, considered to be one of the most fragile and sensitive ecosystems in the world.

Since Antarctic tourism began in the late 1950's, the track-record of the tourism industry is a very good one and we intend to continue that way. Tourism activities

have been conducted responsibly and impacts have been negligible. The Guidelines are reviewed annually and updated as necessary in order to remain current. (Note that_IAATO will update the Guidelines, if necessary, once legislation is enacted.) IAATO members educate their travelers through an on-board educational program led by experts who have a wealth of experience in various disciplines of Antarctic research. Not only are travelers informed about their responsibilities under the Antarctic Conservation Act and what constitutes responsible behavior ashore in order to avoid impacting flora, fauna and science, but they are also guided ashore in order to further minimize any adverse impact. Visits to research stations are requested in advance and reconfirmed at least 72 hours prior to arrival. Entry to protected areas is avoided.

Since 1989, U.S.-based tour companies have coordinated their activities with the National Science Foundation as manager of the U.S. Antarctic Program (USAP) and as the agency responsible for the implementation of the Antarctic Conservation Act. We have received excellent guidance and support from the NSF's Office of Polar Programs and believe the NSF deserves full credit for their role in cooperative government. IAATO members have welcomed USAP Environmental Observers on board our vessels and will continue to do so during the 1993-94 season. The purpose of these observers is to "monitor, by on-site observations, compliance with the Antarctic Treaty and the U.S. Antarctic Conservation Act, as such activities relate to personal conduct in Antarctica". We look forward to working with the NSF in the future to continue to ensure that our operations minimize impact to the environment and do not interfere with on-going science carried out by the USAP and other national science programs. In 1993 the tour operators were contacted by the Council of Managers of National Antarctic Programs (or COMNAP) in efforts to inventory the amounts of petroleum fuel and oil products being carried by vessels during the past 1992-93 season m the Antarctic Treaty area, as part of a Treaty-wide means of maintaining an inventory of fuels in Antarctica. In addition, COMNAP has expressed an interest in acting as a clearinghouse for statistics on tour ship traffic and passenger numbers on an annual basis. IAATO members look forward to cooperating with COMNAP now and in the future.

It should be considered that commercial fishing activities and tourism are the two largest private-sector industries in Antarctica and have been for many years. For some IAATO members, the business generated from their operations in Antarctica represents the largest share of revenue produced during the entire year-and there is even one company who concentrates solely on Antarctic tourism. Because of our vested interest in Antarctica, IAATO members are keenly interested in the Environmental Protocol and in implementing legislation put forth to "ratify" the Protocol. We are indeed motivated by self-interest and public spirit, however no one knows better than we that if we do not protect the Antarctic environment today, we will not be conducting tourism to Antarctica in the future.

1 also want to say that if you have not yet been to Antarctica, take the time to do so and marvel at a unique part of the world, where wildlife is in great abundance, but in relatively few species. Animals breed on the scant ice-free coastal areas without fear of humans. The wildness of the terrain and the incredible scenery are found nowhere else on Earth. In this world of ice, there is beauty, but also respect for what is there. I am sincere when I say that by going to Antarctica, one automatically becomes an environmentalist, with a vow to keep it in its pristine state. Antarctica does that to you.

COMMENTS ON S. 1427

Overall, the proposed Bill of this Committee is well written and appears to apply the intended objectives of the "1991 Protocol on Environmental Protection to the Antarctic Treaty" very well. Speaking for tour operators, there are several comments offered regarding specific mention and relevance to tourism as they occur in S. 1427.

1. Sec. 2. FINDINGS p. 3, par. (7). We agree that the National Science Foundation is the best and most effective Agency to continue managing scientific activities in Antarctica, and look forward to cooperating with another Agency, such as Commerce. The tour operator companies, now under the umbrella of IAATO, have had very good relations with NSF in the past, and recommend that Commerce or any other Agency involved with the responsibilities of regulating tourism in Antarctica include representatives from the tourism industry on any pertinent committees or working groups m an advisory capacity. Our collective experience of decades in Antarctica would be mutually beneficial.

2. Sec. 4. REPRESENTATIVE ARBITRATORS AND INSPECTORS p. 5, par. (a)(1). Similar to the previous recommendation, we believe that representation from