Charles M. Breder, Jr.: Palmetto Key, 1942

Charles M. Breder and his wife Ethel spent part of the summer of 1942 at the Palmetto Key field station, known today as Cabbage Key, on the west coast of Florida south of Charlotte Harbor. The Palmetto Key field station began in 1938 and ended in 1942 because of World War II. His Palmetto Key diary ran for 95 pages of notes, tables, diagrams, drawings, lists, and business records and this report presents a variety of fascinating entries. Diaries from other years all bear Breder's style of discipline, curiosity, humor, and speculations on nature. The diary was transcribed as part of the Coastal Estuarine Data/Document Rescue and Archeology effort for South Florida. (PDF contaons 24 pages)

Charles M. Breder, Jr.: Hypothetical considerations, 1931-1937

Charles M. Breder Jr. “hypothesis” diary is a deviation from the field diaries that form part of the Breder collection housed at the Arthur Vining Davis Library, Mote Marine Laboratory. There are no notes or observations from specific scientific expeditions in the document. Instead, the contents provide an insight into the early meticulous scientific thoughts of this biologist, and how he examines and develops these ideas. It is apparent that among Dr. Breder’s passions was his continual search for knowledge about questions that still besieged many scientists. Topics discussed include symmetry, origin of the atmosphere, origin of life, mechanical analogies of organisms, aquaria as an organism, astrobiology, entropy, evolution of species, and other topics. The diary was transcribed as part of the Coastal Estuarine Data/Document Rescue and Archeology effort for South Florida. (PDF contains 33 pages)

Charles M. Breder, Jr.: Dry Tortugas, 1929

During the summer of 1929, Dr. Charles M. Breder, Jr., employed at that time by the New York Aquarium and American Museum of Natural History, visited the Carnegie Laboratory in the Dry Tortugas to study the development and habits of flying fishes and their allies. The diary of the trip was donated to the Mote Marine Laboratory Library by his family. Dr. Breder's meticulous handwritten account gives us the opportunity to see the simple yet great details of his observations and field experiments. His notes reveal the findings and thoughts of one of the world's greatest ichthyologists. The diary was transcribed as part of the Coastal Estuarine Data/Document Rescue and Archeology effort for South Florida. (PDF contains 75 pages)

Charles M. Breder, Jr.: Bahamas and Florida

Dr. Charles M. Breder, a well known ichthyologist, kept meticulous field diaries throughout his career. This publication is a transcription of field notes recorded during the Bacon Andros Expeditions, and trips to Florida, Ohio and Illinois during the 1930s. Breder's work in Andros included exploration of a "blue hole", inland ecosystems, and collection of marine and terrestrial specimens. Anecdotes include descriptions of camping on the beach, the "filly-mingoes" (flamingos) of Andros Island, the Marine Studios of Jacksonville, FL, a trip to Havana, and the birth of seahorses. This publication is part of a series of transcriptions of Dr. Breder's diaries. (PDF contains 55 pages)

Charles M. Breder, Jr.: Atlantis Expedition, 1934

Dr. Charles M. Breder participated on the 1934 expedition of the Atlantis from Woods Hole, Massachusetts to Panama and back and kept a field diary of daily activities. The Atlantis expedition of 1934, led by Prof. A. E. Parr, was a milestone in the history of scientific discovery in the Sargasso Sea and the West Indies. Although naturalists had visited the Sargasso Sea for many years, the Atlantis voyage was the first attempt to investigate in detailed quantitative manner biological problems about this varying, intermittent ‘false’ bottom of living, floating plants and associated fauna. In addition to Dr. Breder, the party also consisted of Dr. Alexander Forbes, Harvard University and Trustee of the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution (WHOI); T. S. Greenwood, WHOI hydrographer; M. D. Burkenroad, Yale University’s Bingham Laboratory, carcinology and Sargasso epizoa; M. Bishop, Peabody Museum of Natural History, Zoology Dept., collections and preparations and H. Sears, WHOI ichthyologist. The itinerary included the following waypoints: Woods Hole, the Bermudas, Turks Islands, Kingston, Colon, along the Mosquito Bank off of Nicaragua, off the north coast of Jamaica, along the south coast of Cuba, Bartlett Deep, to off the Isle of Pines, through the Yucatan Channel, off Havana, off Key West, to Miami, to New York City, and then the return to Woods Hole. During the expedition, Breder collected rare and little-known flying fish species and developed a method for hatching and growing flying fish larvae. (PDF contains 48 pages)

Elasmobranchs as living resources: Advances in the biology, ecology, systematics, and the status of the fisheries

This report owes its genesis to the foresight and enthusiam of Dr. Kazuhiro Mizue. By happy circumstance, Professor Mizue contacted me in 1983 with his visionary ideas on cooperative programs. He noted that the time was right because the Japan Society for the Promotion of Science and the National Science Foundation had mutually given priority to cooperative programs in marine biology. I therefore agreed to act as the U.S. coordinator and proposed to NSF, a short trip to Japan to negotiate site visits and timing with ten previously appointed Japanese scientists and, if that trip were successful, to negotiate a joint research project, possibly followed by a joint seminar. (PDF file contains 528 pages.)

Biology and assessment of the painted sweetlips (Diagramma pictum (Thunberg, 1792)) and the spangled emperor (Lethrinus nebulosus (Forsskål, 1775)) in the southern Arabian Gulf

The population biology and status of the painted sweeplips (Diagramma pictum) and spangled emperor (Lethrinus nebulosus) in the southern Arabian Gulf were established by using a combination of size-frequency, biological, and size-at-age data. Transverse sections of sagittal otoliths were characterized by alternating translucent and opaque bands that were validated as annuli. Comparisons of growth characteristics showed that there were no significant differences (P>0.05) between sexes. There were well defined peaks in the reproductive cycle, spawning occurred from April to May for both species, and the mean size at which females attained sexual maturity was 31.8 cm fork length (LF) for D. pictum and 27.6 cm (LF) for L. nebulosus. The mean sizes at first capture (21.1 cm LF for D. pictum and 26.4 cm LF for L. nebulosus) were smaller than the sizes for both at first sexual maturity and those at which yield per recruit would be maximized. The range of fishing-induced mortality rates for D. pictum (0.37−0.62/yr) was substantially greater than the target (Fopt=0.07/yr) and limit (Flimit=0.09/ yr) estimates. The range of fishing-induced mortality rates for L. nebulosus (0.15/yr to 0.57/yr) was also in excess of biological reference points (Fopt=0.10/yr and Flimit=0.13/yr). In addition to growth overfishing, the stocks were considered to be recruitment overfished because the biomass per recruit was less than 20% of the unexploited levels for both species. The results of the study are important to fisheries management authorities in the region because they indicate that both a reduction in fishing effort and mesh-size regulations are required for the demersal trap fishery.

Charles Henry Gilbert (1859-1928), Naturalist-in-Charge, and Chauncey Thomas, Jr. (1850-1919), Commanding: Conflict Aboard the U. S. Fish Commission Steamer Albatross in 1902

Charles Henry Gilbert (1859-1928) was a pioneering ichthyologist who made major contributions to the study of fishes of the American West. As chairman of the Department ofZoology at Leland Stanford Junior University in Palo Alto, Calif., during 1891-1925, Gilbert was extremely devoted to his work and showed little patience with those ofa different mindset. While serving as Naturalist-in-Charge of the U.S. Fish Commission Steamer Albatross during her exploratory expedition to the Hawaiian Islands in 1902, Gilbert engaged in an acrimonious feud with the ship's captain, Chauncey Thomas, Jr. (1850-1919), U.S.N., over what Gilbert perceived to be an inadequate effort by the captain. This essay focuses on the conflict between two strong figures, each operatingf rom different world views, and each vying for authority. Despite the difficulties these two men faced, the voyage of the Albatross in 1902 must be considered a success, as reflected by the extensive biological samples collected, the many new species of animals discovered, and the resulting publication of important scientific papers.

U. S. Trade in Tuna for Canning, 1987

U.S. tuna fleet activity, canned tuna processing, ex-vessel, wholesale and retail prices and imports in 1987 are described and compared to their counterparts in previous years. Industry statistics gathered from government agencies and industry contacts are presented in 14 figures and 8 tables. In 1987, U.S. tuna fisheries delivered 253,136 short tons (tons) of tuna to U.S. canneries. Domestic deliveries of albacore (white-meat) tuna were 2,836 tons, down 20 percent from 1986 levels. Domestic deliveries of tropical (light-meat) tuna (bigeye, blackfin, bluefin, skipjack, and yellowfin) were 251,000 tons, up 12 percent. Contract prices for tuna delivered by U. S. vessels to U. S. canneries increased dramatically in 1987. Depending on the size of fish in the delivery, ex-vessel prices of white-meat tuna increased as much as 27 percent, and prices of light-meat tuna increased as much as 47 percent. U. S. cannery receipts of imported and domestically caught raw frozen tuna for canning totaled 532,704 tons in 1987, up 2 percent from 1986 levels. U.S. cannery receipts of white-meat tuna were 104,197 tons, down 10 percent from 1986. Imports made up 97 percent of the total cannery supply. Total 1987 U. S. cannery receipts of raw, frozen light meat tuna were 428,507 tons, up 5 percent from 1986 levels. Imports made up 41 percent of the total cannery supply. The 1987 U.S. pack of canned tuna was 33.6 million standard cases, up 3 percent from 1986. The pack of white-meat tuna was 7.2 million standard cases, down 11 percent from 1986; the pack of light-meat tuna was 26.4 million standard cases, up 7 percent. U. S. imports of canned tuna in 1987 were 10.8 million standard cases, down 11 percent from 1986 levels, the first time in recent years that imports have declined. Per capita consumption of canned tuna in the United States was 3.5 pounds in 1987, down slightly from 1986. The retail composite price was $2.26 per pound, unchanged from 1986.

Charles M. Breder, Jr.: drawings

Among the papers of Dr. Charles M. Breder bequeathed to the Mote Marine Laboratory by the Breder family are a series of drawings of larval fish and eggs done from 1917 through 1929. The drawings were made with pencil on half and full sheets of buff colored paper. The half sheet drawings are of larval fish, most of which are not identified. The full sheet drawings often contain comments and notes related to laboratory work on fish egg development, and made during the summer of 1929 when Breder was working in the Dry Tortugas.

Semblanzas Ictiológicas Iberoamericanas: Héctor Samuel Vera Alcaraz.

A través de esta nueva serie tratamos de conocer diferentes aspectos personales de los integrantes de la comunidad ictiológica iberoamericana. Esta iniciativa, comparte el espíritu y objetivo de las semblanzas nacionales buscando informalmente, otro punto de unión en la “comunidad de ictiólogos iberoamericanos”. Quizás esté equivocado en mi apreciación, pero creo que vale la pena este intento, ya que, con la colaboración generosa e insoslayable de los integrantes de este “universo”, señalaremos un registro en el tiempo de la Ictiología Neotropical.