74 



station with the installation of an automatic 

 oceanographic sensing and recording system. This 

 system will collect routine meastu'ements of 

 temperature, salinit\, and currents of both surface 

 and sub-surface waters, and also of pressure on the 

 bottom. With this system, it will be possible to 

 conduct seasonal studies of oceanographic 

 parameters with long term sequential information. 

 A portion of the FY 1967 instrumentation budget 

 ($175,000) will be spent for two ?w sihi sensor 

 systems for off-shore light towers. 



Maintenance of the etjuipment procured in 1965 

 and 1966 exj^anded instrinnentation programs, 

 including calibration and testing ser\ices, will 

 cost an additional $126,000. 



DEPARTMENT OF INTERIOR 



Bureau of Commercial Fisheries 



FY 1965 -$800,000 

 FY 1966 -$800,000 

 FY 1967 -$900,000 



In the past year the Bureau increased its capa- 

 bility to locate and record the characteristics of 

 fish populations by the procurement of two new 

 research sonars. A simrad research sonar in- 

 stalled on the DAVID STARR JORDAN, is the 

 first instrument of its kind to be used by this 

 country in the Pacific Ocean. The straza fisheries 

 research sonar, a unique, continuous transmission 

 frequency modulated system, is to be installed on 

 the TOWNSEND CROMWELL. Information ob- 

 tained on the magnetic tapes of these two powerful 

 systems will provide a new "windovv" to observe 

 the behavior and distribution of tima, sardines, 

 and anchovy at medium depths. The systems are 

 capable of tracking indi\idual fish as well as 

 schools. 



To improve instrument quality, a new type of 

 program management contract was let with 

 NAVOCEANO for an industry developed fish- 

 net bathykymogra]5h. Emphasis on reliabilitv 

 engineering, availability time, longevity, data 

 handling, and simplicity of application will pro- 

 vide the most economical means for data collec- 

 tion. The apparatus will measine the total com- 



mercial fishing effort for the International 

 Commission of Northwest Atlantic Fisheries. 



Scientists and engineers from the Btueau, a 

 NASCO Panel on Biological Methods, and in- 

 dustry are cooperating to determine the effective- 

 ness of present plankton sampling techniques 

 and to determine engineering requirements for 

 a new generation of nets. Hydrodynamic charac- 

 teristics of 14 standard and experimental devices 

 were measined at various velocities in the David 

 Taylor Model Basin. Related observations on the 

 effects of clogging and net avoidance are being 

 made with instrmnented samplers from the sub- 

 merged, windowed laboratories of the DAVID 

 STARR JORDAN, the TOWNSEND CROM- 

 WELL, and from leased submersibles. 



Systems are being developed to provide a 

 three-dimensional temperatine pattern to com- 

 pare with the distribution of commercial fishes. 

 Commercially available expendable bathythermo- 

 graphs and recently developed near-surface 

 reference temperature devices are being eval- 

 uated on merchant ships of opportunity and 

 fisheries research vessels to provide information 

 on operational characteristics. Navy's Fleet 

 Ntimerical Weather Facility is participating in the 

 evaluation and is receiving data by radio and 

 pnxessing it for further distribution. Results 

 will establish criteria for human factors engineer- 

 ing and data handling procedines. Work on two 

 BCF buoy ]3rograms will be continued. Walden- 

 tvpe drift buoys will be outfitted with sensing, 

 positioning, and telemetering systems for use in 

 the northeastern Pacific, and instrmnented 

 anchors of standard Coast Guard buoys will be 

 used in the observation of bottom temperatures 

 off Cape Cod. 



The Bureau will continue its development of 

 the above instrinnents and systems ($385,000) 

 for its research and sinvey programs and will 

 assist in development projects funded elsewhere 

 in government and industrv to assure the ade- 

 quacy of end-pi"oducts for Bureau-wide use. 

 Further development will continue in long-range 

 sonar for fish detection, dual channel recorders 

 to jjrovide information on the depths and tem- 

 peratines of commercial catches, fish pumps 

 with attracting lights, and a fish scale reader for 

 age composition data. Close cooperation and 

 liaison with pertinent groups in other agencies 

 will continue. 



