Emergency dam at Pedro Miguel, Panama Canal (ca. 1914)

Leonard Carpenter Panama Canal Collection. Photographs: Dredging, Soldiers, and Ships. [Box 1] from the Special Collections & Area Studies Department, George A. Smathers Libraries, University of Florida.

U.S. Favorite, Pedro Miguel Lock - Old Timers Trip through the Canal, Jan. 20, 1928

Leonard Carpenter Panama Canal Collection. Photographs: Views of Panama and the Canal. [Box 1] from the Special Collections & Area Studies Department, George A. Smathers Libraries, University of Florida.

80 C 146 U.S. Aeroplane carrier "Saratoga" and French cruiser "Joan D'Arc" in Pedro Miguel Lock - Panama Canal - 2/7/28

Leonard Carpenter Panama Canal Collection. Photographs: Views of Panama and the Canal. [Box 1] from the Special Collections & Area Studies Department, George A. Smathers Libraries, University of Florida.

Ictiólogos de la Argentina: José Pedro Mestre Aceredillo

This series will include all those people who, by means of their contributions, great and small, played a part in the consolidation of ichthyology in Argentina. The general plan of this work consists of individual factsheets containing a list of works by each author, along with reference bibliography and, whenever possible,personal pictures and additional material. The datasheets will be published primarily in chronological order, although this is subject to change by the availability of materials for successive editions. This work represents another approach for the recovery and revalorization of those who set the foundations of Argentine ichthyology while in diverse historical circumstances. I expect this to be the beginning of a major work that achieves the description of such a significant part of the history of natural sciences in Argentina.

Humpback and Fin Whaling in the Gulf of Maine from 1800 to 1918

The history of whaling in the Gulf of Maine was reviewed primarily to estimate removals of humpback whales, Megaptera novaeangliae, especially during the 19th century. In the decades from 1800 to 1860, whaling effort consisted of a few localized, small-scale, shore-based enterprises on the coast of Maine and Cape Cod, Mass. Provincetown and Nantucket schooners occasionally conducted short cruises for humpback whales in New England waters. With the development of bomb-lance technology at mid century, the ease of killing humpback whales and fin whales, Balaenoptera physalus, increased. As a result, by the 1870’s there was considerable local interest in hunting rorquals (baleen whales in the family Balaenopteridae, which include the humpback and fin whales) in the Gulf of Maine. A few schooners were specially outfitted to take rorquals in the late 1870’s and 1880’s although their combined annual take was probably no more than a few tens of whales. Also in about 1880, fishing steamers began to be used to hunt whales in the Gulf of Maine. This steamer fishery grew to include about five vessels regularly engaged in whaling by the mid 1880’s but dwindled to only one vessel by the end of the decade. Fin whales constituted at least half of the catch, which exceeded 100 animals in some years. In the late 1880’s and thereafter, few whales were taken by whaling vessels in the Gulf of Maine.

Semblanzas Ictiológicas: Pedro Carriquiriborde

A través de esta serie intentaremos conocer diferentes facetas personales de los integrantes de nuestra “comunidad”. El cuestionario, además de su principal objetivo, con sus respuestas quizás nos ayude a encontrar entre nosotros puntos en común que vayan más allá de nuestros temas de trabajo. Esperamos que esta iniciativa pueda ser otro nexo entre los ictiólogos de la región, ya que consideramos que el resultado general trascendería nuestras fronteras.

Assessment and possible development of the fishery resources of Pedro Bank

Pedro Bank is about 1,300 square miles in extent and lies at the mouth of the Palk Strait close to the mainland, enabling smaller boats to exploit it. Trawl surveys indicated the presence of substantial demersal varieties on the Pedro Bank, but the results of the early commercial operations indicate that a 135-foot trawler may not be operated continuously on the bank without diminishing returns. Subsequent to the commercial operations extensive surveys with smaller boats and various types of gear were carried out. Of the various types of gear tried out, results from bottom long lining and hand lining operations were promising. Trials were carried out to compare these two types of gear. Though not extensive, these trials indicated that at the initial stages of exploitation of the Bank, hand lining, which is extensively practiced in Ceylon, may be better but as exploitation progresses; with more experience, it should be possible to overcome some of the present disadvantages of bottom long lining and eventually bottom long lining should produce better results. The recently introduced mechanised craft are exploiting only the fringe of the bank and it should be possible to exploit its stocks fully with slightly bigger boats with a 35-40 mile range.

Resources of the Wadge and Pedro Banks

Sri Lanka's interest in trawler fishing dates back to 1902 when a Colombo merchant attempted to operate a trawler off Sri Lanka's waters. The next attempt was made in 1907. These attempts did not proceed any further. Between 1920 and 1923 a very comprehensive survey of the littoral waters around the island was carried out. One of the principal aims of the survey was to investigate the possibility of trawler fishing in the seas around. Malpas (1926) and Pearson and Malpas (1926) reporting the results of the survey indicated that the Wadge and Pedro banks were the only areas available for commercial trawler operations and indicated that the fish resources in the two banks could be profitably exploited. Commercial exploitation of the Wadge bank commenced in 1928 and a fishery is now firmly established in the bank. The Marine Biologist and the Director of fisheries in their administration reports and Sivalingam and Medcof (1957) and the author (1965) have reported on the progress of the Wadge bank fishery. Some of the trends indicated by an analysis of the records of the commercial trawling operations are further discussed in this paper.