FISHERY BULLETIN: VOL. 70, NO. 3 



to commend me, and the only thing I can think of 

 was a teen-age association with Dr. A. G. Huntsman 

 at St. Andrews, New Brunswick. In all events, I 

 sorted mackerel eggs and larvae to a fare-thee-well. 

 But the point is, the work never became tedious under 

 Sette's watchful eye. I thoroughly enjoyed it and him, 

 and in vicarious fashion I learned a lot; it was by 

 far my most rewarding summer to date. Bigelow, 

 Huntsman and Sette: three men who nudged an aim- 

 less youngster into a happy and rewarding career. 

 I shall always be eternally grateful to O. E. S. for his 

 patience and his stimulus." 



Forty years later another young man, just 

 starting his career, has written: 



"During the summer of 1965 I worked in Dr. Sette's 

 Lab as a seasonal aid type. I learned more in 2% 

 months working with Dr. Sette and his staff than I 

 did in the 4 years at the College of Fisheries. The 

 people who work with Dr. Sette work as a team. Each 

 individual has his own talents and Dr. Sette augments 

 these talents. Somehow through empathy and com- 

 passion he frees you to your limitations and helps 

 you to work beyond your own ability. Each specialist 

 from secretary to oceanographer is fully aware of the 

 entire effort. — there are far too few Dr. Settes." 



So wrote Richard A. Winnor, Associate Marine 

 Biologist, California Department of Fish and 

 Game, in 1972. 



Sette's pleasant days at Harvard and Woods 

 Hole lasted nine years, in which time knowledge 

 of fishery resources on the Atlantic coast was 

 advanced significantly. Meanwhile a crisis was 

 developing on the Pacific coast. The sardine 

 fishery, which gave indications of mushrooming 

 back in the early twenties, had expanded beyond 

 all expectations within two decades. From 1916 

 through 1939, the catch more than doubled each 

 six years, and reached its maximum in 1936 with 

 a billion and a half pounds landed. State fishery 

 biologists were concerned and warned against 

 overfishing. Nationally, concern for the nation's 

 food supply was developing, and demands were 

 being made for a better scientific basis of fish- 

 ery management. Since the state was unable to 

 control the fishing industry through legislation, 

 a Congressional investigation was made. Be- 

 cause of his proven ability to manage a fishery 

 resource, his past experiences with the sardine 

 fishery, and his contacts with the industry, Sette 

 was sent to California by Congressional mandate, 



to head a sardine research progi^am inaugurated 

 by the Bureau, a position of great responsibility. 

 He was made Chief of the new South Pacific 

 Fisheries Investigations, with headquarters on 

 the Stanford campus. His duty statement pro- 

 claimed "he was to direct and perform research 

 on the nature and causes of fluctuations in pel- 

 agic fish populations." This fooled no one, N. B, 

 Scofield, Chief of the State Bureau of Marine 

 Fisheries, resented federal intervention in Cal- 

 ifornia fisheries investigations and openly re- 

 marked the best thing Sette could do was to pack 

 his bags and go back to Washington, The in- 

 dustry also wanted no federal intervention and 

 regarded Sette's operations with suspicion. 

 However, his mild and friendly personality had 

 won him many friends among the industry in 

 the early twenties. Those who did not know him 

 had a great respect for his work and his personal 

 honesty, as did the biologists with the Division 

 of Fish and Game, many of whom were old 

 friends. His marked success in handling this 

 delicate situation is an example of Sette's per- 

 sonal tact and diplomacy. 



For several years strong disagreements ex- 

 isted between the industry and the Fish and 

 Game Commission. Canners were critical of 

 techniques used by the State's biologists and of 



John L. Hart, Fisheries Research Board of Canada, 

 and O. E. Sette. 



528 



