90 OCEANOGRAPHY IN THE UNITED STATES 



We kiiow that there is at least one ojffer at the present time for one 

 of these crew members and we have considered and have actually 

 hired some of these displaced men for the increased crew on the 

 Delaware^ so that we certainly have the welfare of these people as one 

 of our concerns. 



We recognize our responsibility and we shall do what we can to 

 attempt to see that their livelihood is upset as little as possible. 



Mr. Miller. About how many are adversely affected ? 



Mr, McKeknax. Seventeen. 



Mr. Miller. Mr. Dorn. 



Mr. Dorn. What exactly did the Albatross do ? 



Mr. McKernan. She went to sea, Mr. Dorn. In some cruises she 

 ran oceanographic sections. This meant that she would go out and 

 make plankton tows in a certain manner with plankton nets and drop 

 oceanographic bottles to different depths and sample the water. 



When these data are analyzed in the laboratory, they give us an 

 idea of the currents and changes in current patterns. Some of our 

 important problems in New England are the matter of the disappear- 

 ance and recurrence of various fish populations along the coast and 

 also the locating of any changes in the general environment of fish. 



Of course, since fish are cold-blooded animals, they are completely 

 subject to their environment. These great populations of fish inhabit- 

 ing the bottom areas of New England — for the New England resource 

 is really a bottom fishery — these great fish populations are subject to 

 changes in where they occur and in what numbers they reproduce 

 successfully. The study of their environment, of course, plays a very 

 important part in forecasting their occurrence and the success of 

 proper reproduction. In fact, they are far more subject to their 

 environment than any warmblooded animals that we normally study, 

 so that one of the things we do is study the climate of the water, the 

 climate of the environment. 



Another thing is to sample the fish populations and effect of the 

 fishing itself on the populations for, in addition to the environment 

 affecting the populations, the fishing itself, of course, crops and har- 

 vests these fish and we wish to ascertain at what population levels 

 these fisheries will produce to the very maximum extent. 



Thirdly, we have an important function which is in carrying out 

 in certain areas and in certain matters both the biological and hydro- 

 graphic work I just described to you. 



We have an important function with the Northwest Atlantic Fish- 

 eries Commission, a Commission of some 12 nations now with the 

 advent of Russia accepting this particular convention during 1958. 

 We do liavo important responsibilities with res2:)ectto this Commission. 



Then there are other very important fisheries in the North At- 

 lantic, the great herring fisheries of Maine, and the great scallop 

 fisheries out of New Bedford. Data on all these are collected on our 

 research vessel giving us infomnation upon which to base predictions 

 and by whicli wo understand botli the future and past of these great 

 fisheries resources. 



Mr. Dorn. You say that the work of the Albatross has been re- 

 placed by hiring trawlers. Has that curbed any of this activity at 

 all? 



