30 



FISHERY BULLETIN OF THE FISH AND WILDLIFE SERVICE 



of Mexico given in Soley's chart. The expedition 

 occupied 87 stations (fig. 10, triangles) at which 

 temperature and sahnity of water were recorded 

 at different levels from surface to a depth of 3,000 

 meters (1,640 fathoms).^ 



In 1934 the Atlantis of the Woods Hole Oceano- 

 graphic Institution occupied, from January to 

 March, a series of hydrographic stations in 

 Yucatdn Channel and the Straits of Florida, and 

 in January to May 1937, jointly with the Bingham 

 Oceanographic Foundation, made observations 

 in the Caribbean Sea and Gulf of Mexico (Parr 

 1937a, 1937b). During the cruise of 1947, 

 sponsored jointly by the Woods Hole Oceano- 

 graphic Institution and the Geological Society of 

 America, the Atlantis occupied 551 stations in the 

 western part of the Gulf between Sigsbee Deep 

 and the coasts of Louisiana and Texas. In 1951 

 observations were made by this ship at 240 

 stations. As a result of this work, combined 

 with the data obtained by the United States Coast 

 and Geodetic Survey, a very detailed map of 

 submarine topography on the northwest quarter 

 of the Gulf was issued by the Institution in 1951. 



In 1951 the Fish and Wildlife Service of the 

 United States Department of the Interior initiated 

 a comprehensive research in oceanography and 

 fishery resources of the Gulf of Mexico. This 

 work is carried on bj^ the U. S. S. Alaska and the 

 U. S. S. Oregon, the latter ship being primarily 

 concerned with the explorations of new fishing 

 grounds. Material dredged by the Oregon and 

 deposited in the U. S. National Museum in 

 Washington proved to be of exceeding interest to 

 zoologists, for it comprised many rare species 

 which heretofore were represented only by iso- 

 lated specimens. 



A steady growth of interest in marine biology 

 in the United States during the last half century 

 is reflected in an increase in the number of labora- 

 tories or stations devoted to marine biological 

 research in general, or to a study of specific 

 problems of utilization and management of fishery 

 resources. One of the earliest institutions of that 

 type in the Gulf was the Gulf Biologic Station 

 established in 1902 by the State of Louisiana at 

 the mouth of Calcasieu Pass in Cameron, La. 

 In 1910, by an act of the General Assembly, the 

 Gulf station was merged with the State Conser- 



• For the discussion of Parr's work see article by D. F. Leipper. Physical 

 Oceanography of the Gulf of Mexico in this book, pp. 119-137. 



vation Commission, and about 2 years later the 

 property consisting of 10 acres of land and the 

 building in which the laboratories were located 

 reverted to the original donor, Judge Henry, 

 and the operation of the laboratory ceased. 

 During its brief existence the Gulf Biologic Station 

 was concerned primarily with the biology and 

 cultivation of oysters, scallops, and clams in 

 Louisiana waters and in studj-ing the distribution 

 and biology of local marine and brackish-water 

 plants and animals. The contributions of the 

 laboratory were published in 15 issues of the 

 Bulletin of the Gulf Biologic Station issued from 

 1902 to 1910 and in 3 small biennial reports of 

 the director dated 1906, 1908, and 1910. « Brief 

 data regarding the founding of this station and 

 its policy are given by Foote (1942). 



In June 1904, the Carnegie Institution of 

 Washington, D. C, established a marine labora- 

 tory at Loggerhead Key, Dry Tortugas, 68 miles 

 west of Key West, Fla. The site was chosen 

 because of the purity of the ocean water surround- 

 ing the group of seven, small, sandy islands, the 

 proximity of the Gulf Stream with its abundant 

 life, the presence of rich coral reefs in Florida, 

 and the absence of local fisheries which could have 

 affected the undisturbed life of the sea. Despite 

 adverse conditions due to the difficulties of regular 

 communication with the mainland, hurricanes 

 which frequently swept the Keys, and the short 

 season of its operation (restricted to 3 summer 

 months), the station was very productive in 

 scientific research. Its work inaugurated and 

 conducted under the inspiring directorship of the 

 late Dr. Alfred G. Mayer, covered a very broad 

 field of research in marine biology and general 

 physiology. The 33 volumes of the Papers from 

 Tortugas Laboratorj' contain many fundamental 

 works dealing with a great variety of problems 

 such as biology of coral reefs by Mayer, the 

 physiology of Valonia cells by Osterhout, the 

 metamorphosis of ascidian larvae by Caswell 

 Grave, observations on color, habits, and local 

 distribution of the fishes of Tortugas by W. H. 

 Longley, ecology and geologic role of mangroves 

 by H. J. Davis. Many other papers of permanent 

 scientific value came from the institution, which 

 more than any other laboratory contributed to 

 our knowledge of the marine life of the Gulf. 



• I am grateful to Joel W, Hedgpeth for supplying the data regarding the 

 Oulf Biologic Station. 



