The Key West citizen. [volume] (Key West, Fla.) 1879-current, 1937-07-02
Emory Pierce Gives Outline
OF Work In Marine Biology
Studies AT Liverpool, Eng.

it offered a wider range of ex-
perience.. Great Britain is more
concerned over her fisheries than
America is for obvious reasons.
The problem which engages me is
the changes in this plankton popu-
lation along the coasts bordering
Liverpool, and the lifecycle of
certain specific species of these
floating animals.
Relating my work to Key
West brings two cases in point Co
attention. They are the problems
OF breeding the crawfish and stone
crab larvae with real success. The
solution here lies in an intensive
study of the local planktonic
forms, because the larvae Of both
spends a number OF weeks o.
their early life drifting in the
ocean. Exactly the length of
time spent as such drsfters, the
exact etamorphos;s pass e d
through, and the food require.
ments of each stage of their lar.
va life, ali these points are
clouded at present and need clali.
fication.
Three is another fact which
We are apt to lose SIGHT of while
we are in its midst. That is con-
servat.on. Key West, more by
good luck than management, has
even now excellent marine re-
sources. These resources are still
diminishing. You perhaps hav-
heard sportsmen OF yesterday"
speak of the comparative scarcity
OF some game fishes barracuda,
and back grouper, etc.l, which
have been fished extensively. Did
you know that the two commercial
species of grouper, namely, the
red and Nassau, and the yellow.
tail have decreased markedly in
the last generation? Such de-
ereases do not call for haphazard
laws limiting fishing on certain
convenient or arbitrary areas or
similar restrictions, some of these
are and Others world b. breeders
of complaint and law-hreaking.
Instead, now, these problems need
study; then perhaps before it is
too late, and severe measure
called for to protect that which
is beyond protection, we may still
have that resource with US.
might add here now to disspell
any false impression about certain
instances of conservation / may
have caused. Certain fishes and
other animals are with us in given
quantities and increase slowly.
Their abundance is largely mat
ter of, "Shall We catch most of
them now or give them a slightly
better chance by catching them q
few years laHer?" Others arr
not and their continuation might
be materially affected by small
but pertinent measures. | have
written this last paragraph less as
a student Of zoology than as an
interested spectator land occa-
sional particularly who has been
permitted to see and realize in q
small way what is going on.
Zone more point. / have cor
related some of my work with the
problems and phenomena inherent
in the commercial aspect Of fish
cries around Key West because
you asked for such, not because
that is my sole aim. To one in
terested in this work there is q
certain satisfaction and Interest
derived from the work itself. tt
some investigators there is {
measure Of relief in the knowledg.
that much Of our progress 81
present has been due 10 scientific
work started purely FOR theoret
icaI knowledge. Many men hav.
now and probably viii have in ths
future much trouble and small re
ward from forced appliestions o.
the more natural sciences 70 com
1neree.
Although | have written mor'
than I planned you can perhaps
realize as mentioned earlier, tha'
/ have only hastily mentioned
few OF the facts which might IN
gercst you. | must close now"