biological samples at sea for specific research problems = FT-1962, 

 for example, saw biologists from the Bureau of Commercial Fisheries 

 using plankton nets and. mid-water trawls from the PIONEER to collect 

 samples for research projects on which they are engaged,, and the 

 University of Hawaii had personnel aboard carrying out phytoplankton 

 productivity investigations „ Secondly, the Coast Survey, through its 

 oceanographic survey operations, provides environmental data used by 

 the biological oceahographer in determining the interrelationships 

 between marine organisms and their environment „ 



DEPARTMENT- OF THE INTERIOR 



Bureau of Commercial Fisherie FY-62 $5,598,000 



FT-63 $6,136,000 

 Present research, although primarily ecological studies of marine 

 communities, is oriented towards important commercial species „ For 

 these, the Bureau of Commercial Fisheries seeks an understanding of 

 their interrelations with the physical and biological environment 

 and studies life histories, rates of growth, recruitment, mortality, 

 productive potential and behavior patterns which are important for 

 efficient harvesting,, Statistical research on catch and fishing 

 effort is conducted to define abundance levels. This, in turn, allows 

 examination of principles which govern abundance fluctuations „ 



In the north Pacific particular attention will be given to several 

 species of salmon where their distribution and high seas migrations, 

 are being studied in relation to changing oceanographic conditions „ 

 Explorations for new resources, such as shrimps, crabs and bottom 

 fishes will continue to be carried out along with ecological studies 

 which have been undertaken on crabs and herring „ 



Migrations, behavior, food habits, life history and development will 

 continue to be investigated for the yellow fin, skipjack and albacore 

 tunas „ Unexploited stocks of large tuna have been discovered in 

 subsurface layers of the central equatorial Pacific „ Forecasts of 

 seasonal abundance of Hawaiian skipjack as shown by their response 

 to shifts in the California current extension have been remarkably 

 successful o 



Pacific sardines, which once supported a very large fishery, have been 

 the subject of cooperative biological-oceanographic investigations for 

 several years „ This program has shown that survival of young from 

 spawning is highly variable from year to year, and that changing 

 oceanographic conditions cause substantial changes in the centers of 

 sardine abundance „ Studies will continue to be conducted on behavior, 

 physiology and genetic composition of stocks „ 



Studies in the Gulf of Mexico will continue to be concerned with oysters, 

 shrimp, menhaden and other coastal fishes which are used for reduction 



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