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.

Charles Henry Gilbert (1859-1928), Naturalist-in-Charge: the 1906 North Pacific Expedition of the Steamer Albatross

Fishery science pioneers often faced challenges in their field work that are mostly unknown to modern biologists. Some of the travails faced by ichthyologist and, later, fishery biologist Charles Henry Gilbert (1859-1928) during his service as Naturalist-in-Charge of the North Pacific cruise ofthe U.S. Bureau of Fisheries Steamer Albatross in 1906, are described here, as are accomplishments of the cruise. The vessel left San Francisco, Calif., on 3 May 1906, just after the great San Francisco earthquake, for scientific exploration of waters of the Aleutian islands, Bering Sea, Kamchatka, Sakhalin, and Japan, returning to San Francisco in December. Because the expedition occurred just after the war between Japan and Russia of 1904-05 floating derelict mines in Japanese waters were often a menace. Major storms caused havoc in the region, and the captain of the Albatross, Lieutenant Commander LeRoy Mason Garrett (1857-1906), U.S.N., was lost at sea, apparently thrown from the vessel during a sudden storm on the return leg of the cruise. Despite such obstacles, Gilbert and the Albatross successfully completed their assigned chores. They occupied 339 dredging and 48 hydrographic stations, and discovered over 180 new species of fishes and many new species of invertebrates. The expedition's extensive biological collections spawned over 30 descriptive publications, some of which remain today as standards of knowledge.

Florida's Halfbeak, Hemiramphus spp., Bait Fishery

Two species of halfbeaks, ballyhoo, Hemiramphus brasiliensis, and balao, H. balao, form the basis of a relatively small but valuable bait fishery in southeastern Florida. Halfbeak landings increased rapidly in the late 1960's but are now relatively stable (about 450,000 kg or 1 million lb annually), and their ex-vessel price is about $600,000. Fishing methods, which had changed in the late 1960's when landings increased, have changed little since the 1970's. Data from a fishery-dependent survey (1988-91) show that catch rates were highest from October to February, when catches were dominated by large ballyhoo (>200 mm or 8 inches fork length (FL)); rates were lowest from May to September, when catches contained both species in more equal numbers and the size range was greater (about 150-250 mm FL) than it was for winter landings. There was little bycatch, and only flyingfishes (Exocoetidae) and needlefishes (Belonidae) occurred consistently. Comparisons of the 1988-91 data with similar data reported from 1974 indicated that halfbeak populations have remained relatively stable.

NMFS Celebrates 125th Anniversary

February 9, 1996, marked the 125th anniversary of the creation in 1871 of the U.S. Commission ofF ish and Fisheries, predecessor of NOAA's National Marine Fisheries Service and the Nation's first Federal conservation agency. "Then, as today, Federal fisheries science was at the forefront of its field and noteworthy for its excellence," noted NMFS Director Rolland A. Schmitten, in announcing the agency's quasquicentennial observance.

Biographical Sketch of Spencer Fullerton Baird

Spencer Fullerton Baird was born in Reading, Pennsylvania, February 3, 1823. In 1834 he was sent to a Quaker boarding-school kept by Dr. McGraw, at Port Deposit, Maryland, and the year following to the Reading Grammar School. In 1836 he entered Dickinson College, and was graduated at the age of seventeen. After leaving college, his time for several years was devoted to studies in general natural history, to long pedestrian excursions for the purpose of observing animals and plants and collecting specimens, and to the organization of a private cabinet of natural history, which a few years later became the nucleus of the museum of the Smithsonian Institution. During this period he published a number of original papers on natural history. He also read medicine with Dr. Middleton Goldsmith, attending a winter course of lectures at the College of Physicians and Surgeons, in New York, in 1842. His medical course was never formally completed, although in 1848 he received the degree of M. D., honoris causa, from the Philadelphia Medical College. In 1845 he was chosen professor of natural history in Dickinson College, and in 1846 his duties and emoluments were increased by election to the chair of natural history and chemistry in the same institution. In 1848 he declined a call to the professorship of natural science in the University of Vermont. In 1849 he undertook his first extensive literary work, translating and editing the text for the "Iconographic Encyclopedia," an English version of Heck's Bilder Atlas, published in connection with Brockhaus's Conversations Lexikon.

The 'Baird Memorial"

In mid 1903, during the annual meeting of the American Fisheries Society, AFS members, U.S. Fish Commission (USFC) staff, and other interested persons gathered at Woods Hole, Mass., to dedicate a permanent memorial to Spencer F. Baird, founder of the U.S. Fish Commission. President of the AFS that year was the USFC Commissioner George M. Bowers. Speakers were Chicago attorney E. W. Blatchford; W. K. Brooks, a professor at Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, Md., who had conducted research at the Commission's Beaufort Laboratory; and, very briefly, the noted fish culturists Frank N. Clark of Michigan and Livingston Stone of Vermont. The following record of the dedication ceremony appeared as a twopart article in The Fishing Gazette, 22 and 29 August 1903.

The History and Literature of America's Oysters

Historically, America's use and enjoyment of the oyster extend far back into prehistoric times. The Native Americans often utilized oysters, more intensively in some areas than in others, and, at least in some areas of the Caribbean and Pacific coast, the invading Spanish sought oysters as eagerly as they did gold-but for the pearls. That was the pearl oyster, Pinctada sp., and signs of its local overexploitation were recorded early in the 16th century. During the 1800's, use of the eastern oyster grew phenomenally and, for a time, it outranked beef as a source of protein in some parts of the nation. Social events grew up around it, as it became an important aspect of culture and myth. Eventually, research on the oyster began to blossom, and scientific literature on the various species likewise bloomed-to the extent that when the late Paul Galtsoff wrote his classic treatise "The American oyster Crassostrea virginica Gmelin" in 1954, he reported compiling an extensive bibliography of over 6,000 subject and author cards on oysters and related subjects which he deposited in the library of the Woods Hole Laboratory of the Bureau of Commercial Fisheries (now NMFS). That large report, volume 64 (480 pages) of the agency's Fishery Bulletin, was a bargain at $2.75, and it has been a standard reference ever since. But the research and the attendant literature have grown greatly since Galtsoff's work was published, and now that has been thoroughly updated.

The Bowhead Whale, Balaena mysticetus: Its Historic and Current Status

The bowhead whale, Balaena mysticetus, is currently listed as endangered under the Endangered Species Act of 1973 and as depleted under the Marine Mammal Protection Act of 1972. Literature on the species is updated since 1984, and elements are reviewed that may contribute to the evaluation of the status of bowhead whale stocks.

Temporal Changes in a Tropical Nekton Assemblage and Performance of a Prawn Selective Gear

The temporal variation of components of a moderately diverse (H=1.46) tropical estuarine fish assemblage (long. 146°30'E, lat. 8°45'S) was directed by salinities that had been determined by local oceanographic and probably topographic conditions. For this assemblage, two types of intrayear component profiles are predicted. Pooled data (1988-91) reveal a large component of regular/resident species (43%) in an assemblage which has been under a narrow temperature regime «5T). These results facilitate a discussion on the relevance and usefulness of three hypotheses often cited in studies concerning species diversity and component characteristics of the subtropical/tropical coastal nonreef fish assemblages. Manifestations of the assemblage are reflected in catch composition and weights of 39 trials conducted for a selective prawning gear whose performance in bycatch reduction, mainly for finfishes, is judged by an index, E, we have previously proposed. This gear is capable of harvesting the prawn while conserving the demersal fish. Behavioral responses to netting of the prawns and the finfishes, especially the nearshore surface schoolers such as leiognathids, are discussed from several points of view. An adaptation in terms of group selection for leiognathids of their locking mechanism of median fin spines has been interpreted. For the purpose of bycatch reduction or E enhancement, suggestions for improvements in net design and trawl configuration by considering the behavioral features of fish are made. Our original formula of E is modified for general use. Bycatch problems in the regional prawn fisheries and their possible impacts on fishery planning and development in Papua New Guinea as a developing country are discussed. The gear tested may offer enormous ecological and economic benefits. The gear is multipurpose, extremely simple, and can also be used as a biological sampler.

Australian Vessel Performance in the East Coast Tuna Longline Fishery

A sample of daily observations on the activities of Australian vessels longlining for yellowfin tuna, Thunnus albacares, during 1987-90 was analyzed, using a production junction approach, to determine the effects of vessel characteristics and operational practices and conditions. Significant differences were found between the tuna fisheries in the northern and southern regions of the inshore yellowfin tuna fishery in the east Australian Exclusive Economic Zone. The type of vessel used, and fishing practices such as soaktime, patrolling the longline, and choice of surface water temperature were found to have significant effects on yellowfin tuna catch rates.

A History of Benthic Research in the NMFS Northeast Fisheries Science Center

The Northeast Fisheries Science Center of NOAA's National Marine Fisheries Service has a long history of research on benthic invertebrates and habitats in support of the management of living marine resources. These studies began in the 1870's under Spencer F. Baird's guidance as part of an effort to characterize the Nation's fisheries and living marine resources and their ecological interactions. This century and a quarter of research has included many benthic invertebrate studies, including community characterizations, shellfish biology and culture, pathology, ecosystem energy budget modeling, habitat evaluations, assessments of human impacts, toxic chemical bioaccumulation in demersal food webs, habitat or endangered species management, benthic autecology, systematics (to define new species and species population boundaries), and other benthic studies. Here we review the scope of past and current studies as a background for strategic research planning and suggest areas for further research to support NOAA's goals of sustainable fisheries management, healthy coastal ecosystems, and protected species populations.

Skimmers: Their Development and Use in Coastal Louisiana

The origin, development, and utilization of the skimmer net is reviewed along with other historical shrimp gears used in coastal Louisiana. The skimmer was developed to catch white shrimp, Penaeus setiferus, observed jumping over the cork line (headrope) of trawls being worked in shallow waters. A description of the gear is presented including basic components and various frame designs used by fishermen during its development. The advantages of skimmers over bottom trawls include: multiple use as both trawl and butterfly net (wing net), ease of deployment, increased maneuverability, reduction and greater survivability of bycatch, and ability to cover more area due to increased speed and continuous fishing capability. Disadvantages may include compromising vessel stability when stored upright on the deck, possible damage to water bottoms when improperly rigged, and limitation to a 12-foot (3.6 m) maximum depth due to size restrictions. The growing popularity of the skimmer net is evident by its introduction into North Carolina and inquiries from other southeastern Atlantic and Gulf coast states.

Seasonal Occurrence of the White Shark, Carcharodon carcharias, in Waters off the Florida West Coast, with Notes on its Life History

The white shark, Carcharodon carcharias, is considered rare in the Gulf of Mexico; however, recent longline captures coupled with historical landings information suggest that the species occurs seasonally (winter-spring) within this region. We examined a total of seven adult and juvenile white sharks (185-472 em total length) captured in waters off the west coast of Florida. Commercial longline fisheries were monitored for white sharks during all months (1981-94), but this species was captured only from January to April. All white sharks were captured in continental shelf waters from 37 to 222 km off the west coast of Florida when sea surface temperatures ranged from 18.7° to 21.6°C. Depths at capture locations ranged from 20 to 164 m. Fishing gear typically used in Gulf of Mexico offshore fisheries may not be effective at capturing this species, and the apparent rarity of white sharks in this area may be, in part, a function of gear bias.

Temporal and Spatial Distribution of Catches of Tiger Sharks, Galeocerdo cuvier, in the Pelagic Longline Fishery Around the Hawaiian Islands

Thirty-five tiger sharks, Galeocerdo cuvier, have been reported caught in pelagic longline gearfrom 25 to 265 n.mi. off the Hawaiian Archipelago during December 1990-May 1993. Fifteen sharks were caught farther than 50 n.mi. offshore, indicating that tiger sharks do occur well offshore and removed from benthic topography. About 89% of the sharks were caught during October-March, while only 56% of the fishing effort occurred during that period.

Overview of Mark-recovery Studies on Adult and Juvenile Atlantic Menhaden, Brevoortia tyrannus, and Gulf Menhaden, B. patronus

Extensive mark-recapture studies using internal ferromagnetic tags have been conducted on Atlantic menhaden, Brevoortia tyrannus, and Gulf menhaden, B. patronus. From 1966 through 1969, 1,066,357 adult Atlantic menhaden were tagged; subsequently, from 1970 through 1987, 428,272 juveniles of this species were tagged. Similarly, from 1969 through 1971, 75,673 adult Gulf menhaden were tagged; concurrently from 1970 through 1985, 236,936 juveniles were tagged and released. This report provides an overview of the history of the tagging program, methodologies for both release and recovery activities, a summary of release areas and number of fish tagged within each area, and a review of assumptions necessary for the analysis of this type of mark-recovery data. The resulting data sets have proven to be highly useful for a variety of analyses ranging from determination of migratory patterns and population structure to estimating mortality rates. The relatively wide range of acceptance of tagging results by laymen, industry, and analysts alike have made these data extremely useful for management-oriented analyses.