122 EIGHTH PACIFIC SCIENCE CONGRESS 



resembles marine biology or ecology. The difference between the two 

 is in viewpoint or outlook. In biological oceanography, the investigator 

 thinks in terms of the ocean and how the conditions throughout their 

 ranges and cycles are related to the production, behaviour, distribution, 

 etc. of the plant and animal populations. On the other hand in marine 

 ecology, the investigator thinks in terms of the organisms and their 

 responses to factors in the environment. There does appear to be a 

 definite difference in approach, although the end results may be essen- 

 tially similar in some instances. However, I think it important to em- 

 phasize the fact that the biological oceanographer should be, not merely 

 a biologist, but an oceanographer in the broadest sense with a thorough 

 understanding of the physico-chemical and dynamic conditions in the 

 ocean. 



A fourth phase has to do with the interrelations between the phys- 

 ico-chemical conditions and the biological productivity of the ocean. 

 In this all plants and animals are involved and the final objective is a 

 comprehension of total productivity. Most frequently attempts are 

 made to correlate the physico-chemical conditions with the quantities 

 of plants and animals at specific times and places. These particular 

 studies have to do with standing crops or biomass. Much attention 

 has been centred on phytoplankton as the basic element in the complex 

 food chains. In the investigation of plankton, there are two phases 

 to be considered. One is the broad survey or synoptic type which 

 should accompany and parallel the physico-chemical. The physico- 

 chemical oceanographer gathers many data on the distribution of tem- 

 peratures, salinities, oxygen, etc., and develops broad pictures of states 

 and circulation systems. The biological oceanographer needs to pro- 

 ceed to obtain his data in a parallel manner. He needs to develop a 

 plankton sampler which will operate with much the same facility as 

 the water bottle and the bathythermograph and develop methods for 

 processing the collections by standard procedures which permit as 

 speedy analyses as in the case of the physico-chemical data. The other 

 phase of plankton study relates to detailed specific problems Avithin 

 limited areas. Here the physico-chemical and biological procedures 

 may be modified, elaborated and otherwise developed as the specific 

 problems may require. The time element may be less important than 

 it is where a series of stations is being occupied over a wide geo- 

 graphical range. 



On the basis of the above remarks, I shall attempt to present a 

 brief statement concerning a few problems in biological oceanography 

 occurring on the Pacific coast of Canada. 



In the field of bio-oceano-chemistry there is a problem concerning 

 the origin and abundance of phosphate in Georgia Strait. Lucas and 



