Some observations on seasonal variations in plankton population Patuxent River, Maryland 1943-1945

In directly, phytoplankton serves as food for all aquatic animals since it is at the base of the food chain in which the phytoplankton-feeding animals are eaten by larger animals and these in turn are consumed by still larger forms. Hence, it becomes evident that the phytoplankton, its presence, and seasonal variations are of great importance. The report at hand is based on a record of the variations in the plankton population of surface waters at a single station, where collections were made biweekly from September 1943 through September 1945. The station chosen was in the channel of the Patuxent River, Maryland, near its entrance into Chesapeake Bay, about midway between the head and the mouth of the Bay. (PDF contains 31 pages)

Algae from the inland ice of Greenland. [Translation from: Kongl.Vetenskaps-Akademiens Forhandlingar 1871(2) 293-296, 1871.]

On the large inland ice cover of Greenland, where the temperature even during the short summer, falls below freezing some time during the daily 24 hours, it is still possible to find organic life. The author found in melted ice water several species of algae on his ”walk” in the latter part of July 1870. The article describes the finds and tries to identify the algae to family level.

The Federal Fisheries Service, 1871–1940: Its Origins, Organization, and Accomplishments

The U.S. Fish Commission was initiated in 1871 with Spencer Fullerton Baird as the first U.S. Fish Commissioner as an independent entity. In 1903 it became a part of the new U.S. Department of Commerce and Labor and was renamed the Bureau of Fisheries, a name it retained when the Departments of Commerce and Labor were separated in 1912. The Bureau remained in the Commerce Department until 1941 when it was merged with the Biological Survey and placed in the Department of Interior as the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. It was a scientific agency with well conceived programs of action, and it provided knowledge, advice, and example to state governments and individuals with fisheries interests and needs. Its efforts were supported by timely international agreements which constituted the precedent for Federal interest in fishery matters. The Fisheries Service earned stature as an advisor through heavy emphasis on basic biological research. The lack of such knowledge was marked and universal in the 1870’s, but toward the end of that decade, strong steps had been taken to address those needs under Baird’s leadership. USFC research activities were conducted cooperatively with other prominent scientists in the United States and abroad. Biological stations were established, and the world’s first and most productive deepsea research vessel, the Albatross, was constructed, and its 40-year career gave a strong stimulus to the science of oceanography. Together, the agency’s scientists and facilities made important additions to the sum of human knowledge, derived principles of conservation which were the vital bases for effective regulatory legislation, conducted extensive fish cultural work, collected and disseminated fisheries statistics, and began important research in methods of fish harvesting, preservation, transportation, and marketing.

Maryland commercial fisheries statistics, 1944-1945

This report presents a statistical analyses of the "fin" fisheries, as distinguished from the crab and oyster fisheries of Maryland, for 1944 and 1945. Comparative data on the catch by species, by area, and by gear, based principally on daily reports from the fishermen, are available for the first time as a result of a comprehensive statistical survey made by the Department of Research and Eduction to determine the results of the new management plan for the fisheries, referred to as the Maryland Management Plan. With the initiation in 1941 of a new system of fishery management in the State, a conservation plan based on the principle of stabilized fishing effort, it became obvious that a more accurate catch record system was needed for the proper administration of the program. The Management Plan stabilized the number of licensed fishermen at the 1939-1940 level, and provided for controlled expansion of the fishery to take place only when and where the industry warranted it as a result of increased fish populations. The text of the Plan may be found in Article 39, Section 60, Annotated Code of Maryland, 1943 Supplement. Publications 1, 2, 5, and 6 of the Educational Series of the Department of Research and Education explain the operating principles and the application of same to two important Maryland species, the shad and the rock or striped bass. Ocean fishery records only cover monthly gross landings.

Wadge Bank trawl fishery studies. Pt. 2. The effect of trawling on the catch per hour from 1945 to 1960

The object of this series of papers has been given in Part 1 (see Additional informations for details) which deals with the first known commercial fishery on the Wadge Bank from 1928 to 1935. There is no recorded trawling on the Bank between 1936 and 1944. This paper deals with the changes in the total catch (i.e. all species combined) per hour of trawling in relation to the changes in fishing intensity from 1945, when the present trawling activities started, to 1960. The effect of trawling on individual categories or varieties will be presented later.