The Government of Argentina is stimulating oceanography, the study 

 of which hes in the hands of the Navy. At the present various Argentinian 

 officials are studying oceanography in the United States in order to acquire 

 the methods and experience of that country. 



COMMONWEALTH OF AUSTRALIA : OCEANOGRAPHY OF 



THE PACIFIC 



By H. Thompson, Chief of Division of Fisheries, Marine Biological 

 Laboratory, Cronulla, New South Wales 



In Australia most of the oceanographical research since 1939 has been 

 done by the Division of Fisheries, Council for Scientific and Industrial 

 Research, though some small biological problems have received attention 

 in the Departments of Zoology in the Universities of Sydney, Adelaide, 

 Tasmania, and Western x\ustralia. The Hydrographic Branch of the 

 Department of the Navy undertook survey work, particularly in the 

 northern Australian area, during the war. The Bureau of Meteorology, 

 working in conjunction with the Royal Australian Air Force, produced 

 considerable material on weather conditions in the whole area. 



. Much of the oceanographical work of the Division of Fisheries of 

 C.S.I.R. between 1939 and 1942 was done by M.V. " Warreen," the 

 research vessel of the Division. She worked particularly in the waters of 

 south-east Australia, where extensive hydrological and planktological 

 programmes were carried out. The results of the hydrological work are 

 in manuscript form, but portion of the material is to be presented to the 

 A.N.Z.A.A.S. meetings in Hobart in Januar^^ 1949. 



After 1942 the programme was greatly curtailed because M.V. 

 " Warreen " went on active service, and only a small staff was left to do 

 this work from land-based stations. Since the war the exploratory 

 work of the Division has been increased, and with four research vessels 

 operating the oceanographical programme will be greatly extended. 

 The following vessels will be working during the remainder of the current 

 year (1948-1949, June) :— 



1. F.R.V. " Warreen," working in Western Australia, particularly on 

 exploratory fishing tests, but also undertaking oceanographical research. 



2. F.R.V. " Liawenee," working in Tasmanian Waters on the biology 

 of barracouta, shark, and crayfish, with a hydrological programme 

 to support the biological studies. 



3. M.V. " H. C. Dannevig," working for six months off the New South 

 Wales coast, undertaking biological research on the trawl fishery of 

 New South Wales and carrying out a hydrological programme at several 

 stations on the coast from Coff's Harbour to Eden. 



4. F.R.V. " Stanley Fowler," undertaking peai'l-shell investigations 

 in the Thursday Island {Torres Strait) area, when a biological survey will 

 be made, and methods of cultivation studied. 



All of these vessels will work primarily on fisheries biological pro- 

 grammes, but in each case hydrological observations will be made and 

 plankton hauls taken at regular stations. 



Our oceanographical research in the whole area will conceatrate on 

 four main problems : — 



1. The Assessment of the Productivity Cycle in Australian Coastal 

 Waters. — This will be done by long-term collection at frequent intervals, 

 preferably monthly, of physico-chemical and biological data at stations 



144 



