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Harald A. Rehder, at left, shows United 
States customs examiner Wert T. Bayne 
a sea fan and some conch shells which 
he brought back from Mexico. Rehder, 
curator of mollusks for the Smithsonian 
By Henry Rohland, Staff Photographer 
Institution, was a member of an expedition 
which gathered thousands of specimens 
of mollusks, fishes, insects, sponges and 
other creatures from the beaches of the 
Yucatan Peninsula. 
Smithsonian 
Fishing Trip 
Big Success 
A team of researchers has 
come back with a big catch 
from a scientific fishing ex- 
hibition in waters along the 
east coast of Mexico’s Yuca- 
tan Peninsula. 
Yesterday a customs inspec- 
tor checked through some of 
souvenirs they sent home to 
the Smithsonian Institution — 
eels, mollusks, sting rays, bar- 
cudas, shells. Altogether, the 
catch added up to more than 
10,000 specimen of mollusks, 
500 fishes, and 5000 insects. 
None of the specimens was 
brought back alive. The ship- 
ment included vial after vial 
of miniature crabs, shrimp, 
and other marine life pre- 
served in alcohol. 
“We caught these by dan- 
gling an electric light over the 
side of the schooner at night,” 
explained Harald A. Rehder of 
the Smithsonian staff. This at- 
tracted all kinds of marine life 
and we used a dip net to bring 
them out.” 
The expedition was led by 
Waldo L. Schmitt, also of the 
Smithsonian staff. One of the 
sponsors, along with Smith- 
sonian, was J. Bruce Bredin, 
of Wilmington, Del. 
The scientific fishermen 
spent a month cruising in a 
70-foot schooner along the 
eastern coast of the Yucatan 
Peninsula which has not been 
studied extensively for marine 
life. 
Most of the catch was col- 
lected in lagoon waters, but 
some underwater work with 
face masks and breathing 
tubes was required. Here the 
scientists ran the risk of the 
stings of corals and Diadema- 
sea-urchins. 
Some of the handsomest 
finds are large Queen conch 
shells — or strombus gigas to 
the scientists. 
