Fisheries Commission personnel and with the Corps of Engineers concerning 

 tests run in the Lake Pontchartrain model at Vicksburg to determine the ef- 

 fects of the Hurriceine Project on the hydrography of Lake Pontchartrain. Dr. 

 Robert Reid of the Texas A. and M. Research Foundation has acted as hydro- 

 graphic advisor at these meetings. 



Improvement in research facilities A large recirculating sea-water system 



on the laboratory grounds was provided during the year, using aji existing ma- 

 sonry building 51 by 37 feet. The system contains two redwood tanks, each 

 holding 28,000 gallons of sea water, which circulates through plastic piping 

 to numerous taiiks in the insulated building cuid then is passed through two large 

 sand and gravel filters. The system, described in detail later in this report, 

 was dedicated on February 17 by Regional Director Seton H. Thompson, in 

 the presence of guests from state cind university laboratories. Corps of En- 

 gineers representatives, and industry members. It is already being used to 

 hold specimens for the physiology and pesticide laboratories, for spawning 

 of shrimp and rearing of shrimp larvae, and other purposes. 



Construction commenced in January on a constant flow sea- water 

 laboratory on a 140- acre tract owned by the Bureau on East Lagoon about 3 

 miles east of the laboratory. This building, raised about 15 feet above sea 

 level to avoid hurricajie damage, is on a 40- by 90-foot concrete slab with a 

 large concrete tank on the roof. It will be finished in late summer. Whereas 

 the recirculating system at the main laboratory provides rather well-controlled 

 conditions of salinity and temperature, this system will give an opportunity, 

 especially in the case of estuarine species, to study organisms under semi= 

 natural conditions. 



The East Beach sea-water laboratory under construction, 



3 



