6-7 EDWARD VII. 



SESSIONAL PAPER No. 22a 



A. 1907 



111 



ON THE FAUNA OF THE ATLANTIC COAST OF CANADA. 

 An Introductory Eeport 



by j. stafford, m.a., ph.d. 



(Lecturer in Zoology McGill University, Montreal, Curator of the Canadian Marine 



* Biological Station.) 



The establishment of a marine biological station for Canada offered an oppor- 

 tunity for a zoological survey of our eastern coast waters. Although the task must be 

 a long and arduous one, yet enough has already been done to indicate some interesting 

 features in the Atlantic marine fauna and to show the advisability of continuing its 

 investigation. Before the establishment of the station, thanks to the enthusiasm of 

 certatin zoologists of Canada and of the United States, there had already been published 

 a number of valuable lists of many classes of animals. But with the advantages of a 

 portable laboratory, moving periodically and by successive stages along our coast, and 

 equipped with the more necessary appliances, facilities have been furnished for a fuller 

 sy.stematic survey than was otherwise possible. The development of a marine labora- 

 tory must itself be gradual, and in the initial stages of its growth we can not look for 

 the same thoroughness or comprehensiveness of results as in the later stages to which 

 fall the legacies of a more complete outfit for collecting, and improved apparatus for 

 experimenting, together with a more inclusive library and an experienced staff. 



The biological station has been in existence since 1899; the first two seasons were 

 spent at St. Andrews, New Brunswick, and the succeeding two at Canso, Nova Scotia. 



In the summer of 1899, several weeks before the carpenters had completed the build- 

 ing at St. Andrews, a small but enthusiastic staff of workers c ommenced researches 

 there. A row-boat or a hired sail-boat was alone available, ana much time was lost in 

 reaching the best grounds, indeed it was often out of all proportion to the real time of 

 collecting; but there was the advantage of a rich faunistic district, offering many faci- 

 lities for collecting from shore. 



In 1900 there was built a 22-foot gasoline launch which gave only a few weeks' 

 service and then had to undergo some change of fittings. A small steamer, the Annie, 

 of St. Stephen, was hired for about the same length of time, in which longer trips were 

 made. Altogether the work of the staff at St. Andrews occupied seven weeks of the 

 first year, and fourteen weeks of the second. 



In the spring of 1901 the laboratory was mounted on a scow, built at St. John, 

 and was towed around the coast by the Dominion fishery cruiser Curlew to Canso 

 N.S.. Here, through the liberality of the Messrs. Whitman, one or more of the staff 

 had the advantage of being frequently taken to the local fishing banks on their steamer 

 Active, whose crew also often brought back ' curios ' captured by their trawl-hooks. On 

 a few occasions also the same firm kindly gave the use of their tugboat Vulcan, and 

 several men, with which to test the 12-foot beam trawl used for experiments. 



Upon resuming work at Canso in 1902 the launch was put in order, and, while 

 very useful for short distances, she proved not sufficiently speedy or even safe 

 to venture out to deep water. As the station could not derive much benefit from the 

 Active, herself and crew being employed for the greater part of our period of work by 

 the wrecked Blaamanden, the staff was so far at a disadvantage. From a considera- 

 tion of our means of locomotion up to the present, it seems worth while to mention 

 that the first requirement of the station is a vessel large enough and sufficiently sea- 

 worthy to carry on work in deeper waters. This has been continually apparent at 



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