A look north and south shows that most seaports are either converting to cruise ships or containerized cargo. The latter requires vast parking areas and good rail yards, none of which are sufficiently available in Fort Pierce. Surveys ordered by the county economic agencies have shown that the port would most likely serve only seven relatively lightly populated counties, and that the most likely cargo would be lumber. Even more important, we have come to understand that the Fort Pierce Inlet, the Indian River Lagoon, and the offshore waters of the Atlantic shelter one of the most diverse collections of marine life in the world. The diversity has brought into being Harbor Branch Oceanographic Institution, and the Marine Research Station of the Smithsonian Institution.
Marine research offers an opportunity for growth and wealth in the Treasure Coast area.
When that opportunity is joined with the agricultural and other research facilities of the University of Florida, Florida Atlantic University, Indian River Community College and the local school systems, our area has the possibility of even greater scientific development. Construction of a commercial seaport used frequently by cargo vessels poses a threat to the ecological wealth that is the greatest treasure. Ships coming from foreign lands could seed the area with non-native species of marine life which could destroy the diversity now available to scientists. There is also the probability of oil spills and pollution by waste from the ships that must be considered in any development plan. The Florida Institute of Technology did a study of seaports and the Indian River Lagoon for the Marine Resources Council of East Florida, according to an article by Tribune staff writer Drew Dixon.