FISHERY RESEARCH IN THE 

 COMPUTER AGE 



Seventeen years of data, over 30 vessel 

 years, several thousand fishing stations, more 

 than 3,000 species of shellfish and finfish, and 

 all the ancillary data accompanying these add 

 up to a complex problem in data retrieval. To 

 handle this problem, we have been leaders in 

 the developnnent of a working bionumeric code, 

 infinitely expandable, for recording and re- 

 trieving species data. 



Our data center has been held to equipment 

 absolutely necessary to meet our needs eco- 

 nomically. To date it has consisted of a key- 

 punch, electronic sorter, tabulator, and in- 

 terpreter. In the natural evolution of 

 systematization, we have outgrown this rudi- 

 mentary setup and have received authori- 

 zation to proceed to the next step--com- 

 puterization--through rental of a 9200 series 

 UNIVAC system, with peripheral IBM equip- 

 ment. 



With this system, we will be able to go 

 beyond the simple retrieval and tabulation 

 stages and enter into true H^ta -nco T.Vi=ioa= iJfo 



will be able to compute numbers (or weights) 

 of aninnals caught per unit area, per unit time, 

 or per gear type; examine the possibilities of 

 correlations among the multiple physical and 

 biological factors and the presence, 

 availability, or absence of certain species; and 

 set statistical limits to our interpretations. 



Several basic zoogeographical studies were 

 started or continued during the year ondistri- 

 butions of groups of fishes, moUusks, and 

 crustaceans. The findings will add to the 

 scanty knowledge available on offshore bottom - 

 dwelling marine animals. Over 10,000 speci- 

 mens, mostly fish and decapod crustaceans, 

 were shipped to cooperating taxonomists in 

 nnore than 60 institutions during the year. 

 Identifications received from these cooperators 

 help us imnneasurably in keeping up with 

 species records, whereas the results of the 

 research by these people add to zoological 

 knowledge. 



In all these activities, data entered on and 

 taken from the Automatic Data Processing 

 System are the keys that open the doors to 

 proper accessibility and interpretation of in- 

 fornnation. 



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STATION CARD 



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SPECIES CARD 



Figure 5. — Layout of 80-column card used in ADP of field data. 



