150 Years of Woods Hole Science

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Fig: Alpheus Hyatt Portrait from Arizona Board of Regents Marine Biological Laboratory Archives https://hdl.handle.net/1912/21116

Background image: From Galtsoff, 1962. p. 20, Fig. 9: Little Harbor landing, Woods Hole 1831, US Coast Guard station and site of original summer labs before laboratory was built. Credit: NOAA Fisheries. From NOAA archives gallery at https://apps-nefsc.fisheries.noaa.gov/rcb/photogallery/assorted.html

References:

Allard Jr, D.C., 1967. SPENCER FULLERTON BAIRD AND THE UNITED STATES FISH COMMISSION: A STUDY IN THE HISTORY OF AMERICAN SCIENCE. The George Washington University. p. 1:

“The third major agency supervised by Baird was the U. S. Commission of Fish and Fisheries. When Baird persuaded Congress to create this organization in 1871, he had a keen interest in encouraging the abstract study of marine biology.”

p. 89:

“Baird’s needs for laboratory and office space were met when he was allowed to vise a vacant Light House Board building located at Little Harbor in Woods Hole.”

pp. 90-91:

“In his research at Woods Hole, Baird was supported by a number of volunteer scientists who combined research on personal projects with work on the practical inquiries of the Fish Commission. Professor Verrill of Yale brought several advanced students, including Sydney I. Smith who was to be his life-long collaborator. Other volunteers included Theodore Gill, an ichthyologist from Washington, the Harvard botanist William G. Farlow, and such prominent naturalists as Alpheus Hyatt, of the Boston Society of Natural History, and A. S. Packard, of the Peabody Academy of Sciences.”

Galtsoff, P.S., 1962. The story of the bureau of commercial fisheries, Biological Laboratory, Woods Hole, Massachusetts (Vol. 145). US Department of the Interior, Bureau of Commercial Fisheries.

p. 20: background image.

pp. 20-21:

”A number of students were attracted to the new institution which offered an opportunity to conduct scientific research under Baird, who liberally offered his guidance and advice. At this time he actively participated in dredging, seining, or in collecting material in shallow water. Being an enthusiastic collector, he enjoyed going aboard the vessels with his students and assistants.”

Report, 1873. U. S. Commission of Fish and Fish and Fisheries, Report of the Commissioner for 1871 and 1872, 1,

pp. XIII-XIV:

“…I (Baird) left Washington and established myself at Wood’s Hole, where shortly after my arrival I was joined by Mr. S. J. Smith and by Professor A. E. Verrill, of Yale College, who had kindly undertaken to conduct the inquiries into the invertebrate fauna of the waters. With the facilities in the way of steamers and of boats already referred to, I repeatedly visited in person the entire coast from Hyannis, Massachusetts, to Newport, Rhode Island, as well as the whole of Buzzard’s Bay, Nantucket, Martha’s Vineyard, &c.”

pp. XV-XVI:

“Among gentlemen interested in science who visited Wood’s Hole during the summer for a greater or less period of time, either with special reference to co-operation in the work of the commission, or on account of the interest experienced in such investigations, may be mentioned Professor L. Agassiz, of Cambridge; Professor J. W. P. Jenks, of Brown University; Professors Verrill, Smith, D. C. Eaton, William D. Whitney, William H. Brewer, and Mr. Thatcher, of Yale College; Professor Hyatt and Dr. Thomas M. Brewer, of Boston; Dr. W. G. Farlow, of Cambridge; Professor Theodore Gill and Dr. Edward Palmer, of Washington; Colonel Theodore Lyman, Massachusetts commissioner of fisheries; Mr. Gwyn Jeffries, of England; Mr. J. Hammond Trumbull, of Hartford; Professor Todd, of Mount Tabor, Iowa; Professor O. C. Thompson, of the Technical Institute, Worcester, and several others.”