CANADIAN FISHERIHi^i EXl'EDlTKtX, 191.',-15 xvii 



and instead of restricting the work to a single species, and a single method of operation, 

 to employ, as far as possible, most of the methods which have been developed in fisherj- 

 investigations of recent years. 



Tliis proposal was most kindly received, by the Biological Board, in the first 

 instance, and subsequently also by the Department of Naval Service, in particular by 

 the Deputy Minister, Mr. G. J. Desbarars, himself keenly interested in scientific 

 research. I therefore conferred with the Dominion Commissioner of Fisheries, Prof. 

 E. E. Prince, and drew up, in collaboration with him, a programme of work. The idea 

 was to collect, by short cruises made with vessels belonging to the Canadian Govern- 

 ment, a quantity of material such as would serve to elucidate both the conditions 

 with regard to marine currents, and the character of the fauna in the sea from New- 

 foundland to Halifax, and in the gulf of St. Lawrence itself. 



There being no vessel in Canada specially built and equipped for fishery investiga- 

 tions, and the general tonnage available being much in demand for other purposes, it 

 was necessary to confine operations to the carrying out of veiy simple investigations, 

 comprising short cruises at times previously determined, and along certain definite 

 routes. It was evident, moreover, that only the simpler forms of implements and 

 apparatus could be used; for the hydrographical work, for instance, water bottles and 

 thermometers, and for the fishery work, silk nets for studying the distribution of fish 

 eggs and plankton. I considered it highly desirable to cover the same routes at least 

 twice; once in the spring, at the time when the most important species of fish would 

 presumably be spawning, and once later on in the summer, when we might hope to pro- 

 cure fish lavvce in the more easily recognizable stages. 



Apart from the work on these routes, it seemed to me that we should also endeavour 

 to carry out fishing experiments with a small steam drifter, the No. 33, belonging to 

 the Government, and which had previously beeu employed for practical experiments. 

 I hoped thus to obtain samples of another and more valuable sort than those taken 

 from the fishermen's hauls, and also to ascertain whether herring could be taken with 

 drift nets of different sizes, especially in the gulf of St. Lawrence. 



The plan thus formed was most cordially and liberally adopted by the authorities 

 concerned, and in the spring of 1915 we set to work getting together the requisite 

 implements and apparatus. I was here fortunate in being able to procure the assist- 

 ance of two of my former colleagues, Capt. Thor Iversen and Mr. Paul Bjerkan, with 

 whom I had worked together for years past, and who now found time to come over for 

 some months in 1915 and help in the work. With their aid, the following instruments 

 and apparatus were collected. 



(a) For the hydrographical work: 



Six Nansen water bottles, made in Norway. 



Ten Richter reversing thermometers from Schmidt and Vossbcrg, calibrated to 

 0-1° Centigrade, delivered by the International Hydrographical Laboratory at Copen- 

 hagen, which also provided us with two liand-winchos, with wire and reels taking about 

 500 metres of wire of about 4 millimetres diameter. A meter wheel of the usual pat- 

 tern for oceanographical research was used for determining the depths. Several water 

 bottles could be used at the same time. 



(6) For the hiological ivorh: 



A large number of Michael Sars plankton nets of 1-meter diameter, and oi the 

 type found most suitable by the Norwegian Fishery Investigations. A description of 

 this form of net will be found on p. 46 of my account of the cruise of the Michael Sars 

 in the Atlantic in 1910 ^. Several of the nets were also furnished with closing 

 mechanism, according to the model described by Nansen. 



1 " Depths of the Ocean." 

 G551— B 



