exit, after pressurization of the interior, to perform work 

 outside. The Laboratory's self-propelled 104-foot derrick 

 barge will raise and lower the bathysphere and provide tele- 

 phone communication with a surface crew. 



The bathysphere will be a tremendous asset to the Lab- 

 oratory. From it, biologists will be able to observe the ma- 

 rine environment and the behavior of commercially important 

 invertebrates. One of the first applications of the chamber 

 will be a study of the natural behavior of weathervane 

 scallops (Patinopecten caurinus) on commercial dredging 

 grounds near Bellingham, Wash. The scallop seems to differ 

 in its day and night behavior; it also seems to be able to 

 evade fishing gear. Our observers hope from observations 

 on behavior to explain the inconsistency of scallop catches. 

 Future observations will be on rockfish and flatfish and may 

 take the bathysphere onto the Continental Shelf. 



FIGURE 50.— The Laboratory's new bathysphere is about 8 k 

 feet high and weighs nearly 8,500 pounds (including 2,500 W 

 pounds of ballast). 



BIOMETRICS INSTITUTE 



The scientific capabilities of the Bureau were enlarged 

 in 1968 by the establishment of the Biometrics Institute in 

 the Biological Laboratory. Organized from the existing 

 staff" of biometricians, the Institute assumed new national 

 responsibilities in the Bureau's research program. 



The Institute has three primary roles: (1) to conduct 

 fundamental research on biostatistical theory and methods, 

 experimental design, and mathematical models of fish pop- 

 ulations for application to fishery investigations throughout 

 the Bureau; (2) to analyze fishery and biological statistics 



for fish stocks in which the United States has vital interests 

 and which present problems in international fisheries; and 

 (3) to provide consultation and training to fishery scientists 

 of this laboratory and to staff's of other Bureau laboratories. 



The Institute avails itself of renowned specialists in pop- 

 ulation theory or mathematical statistics from the United 

 States and foreign countries as consultants and lecturers. 

 To speed data processing and the solution of complex prob- 

 lems, the Laboratory's IBM 1130 computer is connected 

 directly to a larger computer in Washington, D.C. 



— 38 — 



