Evening star., 1947-08-11
Stars, Men and Atoms
9 Ships Soon to Explore
Oceans for Dutu on Fish
y. S. Scientists to Study Conditions
Determining Industry's Supply
By Thomas r. Henry

!. By Thomas r. Henry
The Fish and Wildlife Service soon will have
its own nine-ship navy surveying the food
resources Of the oceans.
In the Central Pacific, with their activities
centered around Hawaii but detailed also to
carry out systematic surveys in the waters
around former Japanese inundated islands.
will be one large vessel fitted for oceanographic
research and two smaller exploration ships
Along the Pacific Coast three other ships,
supplied by California in cooperative project
OF the State, the Fish and Wildlife Service of
the Interior Department and the Navy will
study particularly the problems of pilchard
or California sardine fisheries. Commercially
this is by far the most important fishing enter
prise In North America. More than a billion
pounds Of pilchards are taken each year. Only
about NTH OF these are canned The rests
60 into fish meal and oils. Cyclic variations
IN the number of these fishes are likely to
cause heavy losses.
Former Navy Ships to Be Refitted.
Two de-commissioned Navy ships, tug
and mine sweeper, are to be refitted for
fisheries Investigations around the Philippine
Islands under the terms OF the recently passed
Philippines Rehabilitation Act
Flagship Of this far-hung scientific fleet will
De the Albatross III, a large ship equipped
1or all sorts OF oceanographic research, which
VIII operate IN the North Atlantic. The first
Aloatross, outfitted for the Fish and Wildnfe
service at the end OF the last century, made
some OF the most important contributions to
oceanography yet recorded. Parts Of its collec-
tions still are being studied and CLASSIFIED
after more than so years.
In 1881 q former Navy mine sweeper WAS
assigned to the service to carry on much IN.
same sort of work. It continued in operation
until 1881, by which time 1t had become nearly
useless.
Trawler Provided in l94o
In 1910 the New England fisheries interests
provided the trawler Havard for the Fish and
Wldlife Service, but no sooner was the work
OF reconversion under way than the ship was
taken over by the Navy for Coast Guard sery-
ice IN the war. 1t now Is being rebuilt and is
expected to be in active service early next
spring. This Is the Albatross III, intended
to carry on the work of its two predecessors.
But. 1t Is emphasized the nature of this
work mas changed In generation. The chief
objective no longer will be biological collec-
Tons but the study Of the dynamics of fish
life so that it may be possible to predict the
cyclic increases and decreases in ocean life
and, In some cases, even to prevent them.
AS one Fish and Wildlife Service scientist
explains, 1t will be in the nature of daily
weather reporting" with the accumulation of
data on ash population changes with wind,
temperature, amounts Of organic material in
the water, and scores Of other factors Tho
significance Of such studies Is shown by one
discovery few years ago that under certain
wind conditions only four out of million baby
mackerel were able to survive the first 18 days
OF life. This entirely accounted for poor
mackerel seasons.
Equally striking phenomena it is predicted,
may be found In other fish species.