Newspapers / Carteret County News-Times (Morehead … / Oct. 11, 1955, edition 3 / Page 25
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Research Laboratories Cluster Midway on Coast Duke Laboratory Trains Biologists, Provides Facilities for Research By ML C. C. BOOKHOUT (Edit or i Nate: Dr. Bookkout la director of the Duke University Mariae laboratory, Pirera Island. Beaufort, N. C.) The Beaufort Morehead City area la aa well known biologically aa any region between ltiami, Fla., and Woods Hole, Mass. Prominent biologists between 1*60 and 1900 reported Beaufort was a strategic spot for biological research because of the tidiness of it* flora and fauna. It is not sur prising, therefore, that there are ' now several marine laboratories within close proximity of one ano ther in this area. Tbe Institute of Fisheries Re search of the University of North Carolina is devoted to practical problems associated with oyster and clam production, shrimp dis tribution and development, and finfish populations. The United States Fish and Wild life Service has two laboratories on the northern half of Pivcrs Is land?one devoted to shad and menhaden fisheries along the At lantic, and one to isotope research on marine invertebrates and fish. On the southern half of Pivers Island is the Duke University Ma rine Laboratory. It is a part of Duke University and is not sup ported by state or federal funds, nor is its research program as lim ited to purely practical problems. Nevertheless, its diverse pro gram has furnished much infor mation concerning the physical and biotic environment of North Carolina's coastal waters that has either a direct or indirect rela tionship to the practical programs ot the other two laboratories and to fishery problems in general. Marine Problems Studied Members of the zoology and bo tany departments of Duke Univer sity are free to work on any prob lem they choose, but since the Duke University Marine labora tory was established in 1938 by Dr. A. S. Pcarse, an increasing number of faculty members have devoted their research energies to marine problems. At the present time there are four members of the botany de ? part meat working in different fields' of Marine science: Dr. Ter ry Johnson in marine fungi, Dr. H. L. Blomquist in Marine algae. Dr. Harold Humm in' marine algae,, and marine bacteriology Ad Drj Jethro Manly on phytoplaakton. In the loology department there are seven staff members doing marine research at Beaufort: Dr. I. E. Gray in marine ecology. Dr. Karl Wilbur in cellular physiology, Dr. Edmund Cummings in com parative physiology, Dr. John Vern berg in physiological ecology, Dr. H. S. Roberts in cytology, Dr. Wanda Hunter in parasitology, and Dr. C. G. Buokhout in inver tebrate zoology. Two additional members of the zoology department. Dr. Howard Odum, occanographer and limnol ogist, and Dr. Muriel Sandeen are doing marine research elsewhere. The fisherman might well ask what relation is there between re search at the Duke University Ma rine Laboratory and practical fish ery biology. But let's look at ma rine fungi and how much damage they are doing. It -is recognized that fungi are killing oysters tn Louisiana and young hard clams in Connecticut Fish that are injured are frequently attacked by a fun jus which kills them. Wooden structures are also de stroyed by fungi. Since there are relatively few specialists in this field in the United States, Dr. Johnson's research in thia field may be of real service to North Carolina and to the country. r>rw' Classified Dr. H. L. Blomquist and hi? stu dents have classified almost all of the algae in North Carolina com monly known aa "grass." He has also worked on the taxonomy of other vegetation which may well have an important bearing on the abundance of commercially impor tant shellfish, shrimp, and fish. For example, it Is now recogniied that the bay scallop was ecologi cally associated with eel gras?. When it became diaeaaed and died, the bay scallopa disappeared. Dr Alphonse Cheatnut and Dr. William Fahy of the Institute of Fisheries Research have consulted 'vitli Dr. Blomquist In reference to the identity of other plants ' Which may Uke the place ?f eel graas. Dr. Harold Humm, while a resi dent inveatigator at tha Duke Uni versity Marine Laboratory, worked out a method of developing ai^r from aeaweed from the South At lantic and Gulf Coasts. An account of this research waa published aa .Bulletin 3 'of the laboratory. Fuada for this investigation were provided by the General Edu cation Board and the War Produc tion Board. Prior to World War II, >0 per cent of the agar used ' in the United States waa imported from Japan. Factory Established * Aa a result ot Dr. Humm'i work, aa agar-praducing factory was es tablfshed at' Baaufort. For a time tha fikhenfian could aall the "graaa" caught in their nets and Una make a email aaount at awn ey from a product that had been merely a nuisance before. If the algae or "grass" had re mained plentiful in this area the agar factory would be in operation today. Unfortunately, the reasons for fluctuations are not known. Fur ther research may give the answer. Dr. Humm is also the only ma rine bacteriologist in the area. Thus he is currently studying not only the free living bacteria but also those which are destructive to rope and animals in the sea. Life Depends on Plants It is well known that productiv ity of the sea is dependent upon the amount of plant production be cause plants are the only organism in the sea which can synthesize organic matter from inorganic sub stances in significant quantities. The plants which are most im portant are the minute micros copic diatoms and dinoflagellates. The Duke University Marine Lab oratory has recently published a comprehensive bulletin on the dia toms of Beaufort by Dr. Hustedt, world's authority in the field. Dr. Jethro Manly, botany depart ment, Duke University, has made another comprehensive study of the diatoms of the Beaufort re gion. The next step in our research program is to determine how much organic material can be synthe sized in a unit volume of water in a given time. Dr. Howard Odum, a limnologist and oceanographer who recently joined the zoology staff at Duke University, has stu died such problems in Florida and in the mid-Pacific. Thus he is well trained to determine the capa city of these waters to produce phytoplankton, the base of the food chain in the sea. This type of research is beset with difficulties, but some approx imation may be obtained by direct counts of microscopic plants, pig ment analysis of phytoplankton, and chemical analysis of sea water. Dr. Odum will be working on this general problem at the Duke Uni versity Marine Laboratory next summer and in the future. Food Chain ? roytoplanktar and detritis may serve dhreetly as food (or oysters, clams, and menhaden. Generally, however, it is eaten by microscopic animals or by larval stages. These are in turn consumed by small shrimp and fish. These serve as food for large shrimp or fish of commercial value. Each of the marine laboratories in the Beaufort Morehead City area is vitally inter ested in this food chain. The microscopic animals and larval stages which float make up the zooplankton. They are the con sumers of much of the phytoplank ton. Dr. C. G. Bookhout and his graduate students have worked on certain phases of this problem. Dr. William Sutcliffe Jr., Di rector of the Bermuda Biological Laboratory, made a qualitative and quantitative study of the zooplank ton of Beaufort Harbor while a graduate student at Duke Univer sity. He identified copepods which serve as important fpod for fish and showed how their number variei throughout the year. Dr. Bookhout and his students have been engaged in making detailed life history studies of or ganisms which mak? up part of the zooplankton. To date, (tudiei have been made on snails, poly chaete worms, barnacles, crabs, and fhrimp, all direct or indirect food sources for fish. The barnacle research haa been supported by, the Office of Naval Research for the past five yean. For the past two years, Mr. Car Dr. C. G. Bookout . . . heads marine lab ter Broad, resident investigator at the Duke University Marine Lab oratory, has been able to rear "grass shrimp" from the egg through all larval stages to the adult condition in the laboratory. To the writer's knowledge, this has been the first tipie an inves tigator has been able to accom plish this feat in the United States, Through numerous experiments he has been able to determine the proper nutritional requirements to raise shrimp with little mortality. These studies have been support ed by the Office of Naval Research and the National Science Foun dation. ? By using these same techniques he should be able to rear cominer- 1 cial shrimp of the area in the lab oratory. This has not been done but it will be the program of re search of Mr. Broad for the com ing years. Studies Published Since the establishment of the laboratory in 1938 many papers have been published in ecology by 'Dr. A. S. Pearse and Dr. 1. E. Gray and their graduate students. They have studied the distribution of many groups of animals, including crabs and fish. Through their studies in ths field and others in the laboratory, they have been able to determine the tolerances of local animals to changes jp salinity, temperature and other physical factors in bays, estuaries, and the ocean. These studies should provide basic information for fishery pro grams such as the menhaden in vestigation which is now being done by the U.S. Fish and Wild life Service. In the field of physiology, Dr. Karl M. Wilbur and his graduate students are making experimental studies on the shell deposition in oysters using tracer techniques. Dr. John Vernberg, a physiolo gical ecologist, is studying the ef fects of temperature on crab and fish respiration. Dr. Edmund Cummings, former ly of North Carolina State Col lege, but now a member of the zoology department at Duke Uni versity, is investigating the effect of changes of salinity on kidnty and gilti in mullet and other fish. He has shown that mullets can adjust to a change from ocean wa ter to fresh water in a compara tively short time in the tanks at the Duke University Marine Lab oratory. When small mullet are adjusted to fresh water they can be taken to fresh water ponds and raised to edible fish. They grow more rapid ly in fresh water, but they will not breed In it. Parasite* Studied From 1938 to I960, Dr. A. S. Pearse published numerous papers on the parasites of marine orga nisms In the Beaufort area. Many Se* DUKE LAB, Page I, See. 7 4 About midway between the - Virginia and South Carolina liae, four fisheries reaearch labora tories cluster together on the North Carolina coast. Ob Fivers Island at Beaufort are located the Duhe University Marine Laboratory and two Fish and Wildlife laboratories. Sev eral miles west of Fivers Island at Morebead City is located the Institute of Fisheries Research of the University of North Caro lina. The work done at these labor atories is described on this page. Dr. A. F. Chestnut Heads Fisheries Research Unit University, State Join Hands to Bring Newest 'Lab' into Being Dr. A1. F. Chestnut, Morehead City, past president of the Na tional Shellfisheries Association, heads the Institute of Fisheries Research at Morehead City. The institute is the newest of the four located in the central coastal Beaufort - Morehead City area. It was established by action of the Board of Trustees of the University of North Carolina Sept. 29, 1947. Dr. Chestnut, the institute's third director, succeeds W. A. Elli son Jr., Belhaven, N. C., who rf signed several months prior to Dr. Chestnut's appointment. Serving as acting director of the institute during those intervening Dr. A. F. Chestnut r . . directs staff months was Dr. Austin B. Wil liams, who had j?ined the staff in 1951. EstablishmeM of the institute was made possible through the co operation of the University of North Carolina and the State De partment of Conservation and De velopment. Deeply interested in the project on behalf of the De partment of Conservation and De velopment were the late Roy Hampton of Plymouth, Josh Horne of Rocky Mount and Bruce Ethe ridge of Manteo, a past director of the department. As early as 1941 the Department of Conservation and Development had recognized the need for re search, but World War II came along and no concrete plans were made. President Make* Request In the fall of 1944 President Frank Graham of the University of North Carolina requested that a project in marine biology be undertaken as a university func tion. To examine the possibilities, the necessity and potential of that project, Dr. Robert E. Coker, head of the Department of Zoology, was appointed. A committee named by Presi 8ee INSTITUTE, Page ?, Sec. 1 I tmmm Dr. Laun Vmp. inlTlfc mrtrtr 1 Br. H. K. Ijtan, rtfkt, My hjrWMtatWn of mi urchin. la tk? m* Dak* i? n> U>WI>?0. Dr. Utn b mmcUU lull? W inlip, L'NC, I I ? ? ? - ? ' Beaufort Lab Wears New Look By JAMES E. SYKES (Editor'* Note: Mr. Sykes is a member of the staff of the Fish and Wildlife Station, Pi vers Island, Beaufort, N. t.) Pivers Island, headquarters of the United States Fish and Wild life Service research activities in this area, has recently undergone marked changes in appearance. The grand old cupola crested laboratory building on the island, for many years a familiar land mark to Carteret County residents, no longer stands welcoming home shrimp and menhaden vessels as they return to their docks through Beaufort Inlet. Almost as suddenly as the turn ing of a tide she has completely vanished, and in her place stands the ultimate in laboratory build ings, staffed with men who have had special training in the field of fishery research, and equipped with the most modern of biologi cal apparatus. Brick lacing shields the new laboratory from the hurricanes which played hob with the exter ior of the old wooden structure. Hundreds of square feet of ther mopane glass admit sunlight to the interior and retain cool air in the summertime and warm air in the winter. The air is treated by a twin unit air conditioning sys tem. One end of the 168-foot long, one story structure houses seven offices, a photographic dark room, a small scale laboratory (for read ing fish scales to determine age, spawning frequence, etc.), and a library. The interior walls are fin ished in light green tile. The library, one of the most complete on the east coast on fish ery biology, contains volume after volume of scientific literature dat ing back for well over a century. The latest reference books are available to the staff and visiting researchers. These consist of pub lications from the United States and many foreign countries as well as text books on physics, chemis try, mathematics, oceanography, and many specialized fields of bio logy. Laboratory Facilities The other half of the building is devoted to laboratory facilities such as aquaria and salt water tables in which live specimens of ;jnarine forms may be held, a chem fcal tablfc equipped wftfi gas, air, and running water upon which ex periments may be conducted, a storeroom for scientific equipment, and individual cubicles for re searchers. At the present time two coast wise scientific investigations are underway at this laboratory. They are (1) a study of the white shad which spawn in our fresh water streams each spring, and (2) a study of the menhaden which is the most familiar species in this area and among the most impor tant economically. In addition to the two staffs, a statistical agent of the Branch of Commercial Fisheries, U. S. Fish and Wildlife Service, makes his headquarters here. uone are tne tnree frame main tenance buildings which stood on the north shoreline of the island nearest the causeway. They housed the carpentry shop, the net loft, and the water and heating systems. A long brick bulldiug, similar to the laboratory now gracei this site. The new maintenance building accommodates garage, storage, wa ter pumping and heating facilities, and a carpentry shop. Between the two new buildings a concrete court yard serves as a parking area. A dormitory building, replacing the dormitory rooms which came down with the old building, is expected to be constructed in the near fu ture. On May 13 of thit year the new laboratory buildings were formally dedicated to the conservation of our fishery resources by John L. Farley, director of the U. S. Fish and W'ildiife Service. Zoologists Visit Scicntifie fishery research was in its infancy In 1800 when two zoologists named Gill and Stimp son visited Beaufort and decided that this area would make an ideal resort for persons Interested in biology. Then zoologists C'oues and Yar row in 1871-72 further stimulated interest in the multiplicity of fauna and flora of the region. A short time later professors and students of Johns Hopkins Uni versity set up a small laboratory here. It was In 1871 that the U. S. Bureau of Fisheries was Instigated. The Bureau was the predecessor of the U. S. Fish and Wildlife Ser vice. Prof Spencer Fullerton Balrd. Secretary of the Smithson ian Institute, was appointed to the nffice of Commlaaioner of Fish snd Fisheries and served until his death in 1887 Professor Baird waa among the outstanding zoologists of his day. Although he Investigated the fish sifcl fisheries of the Beaufort re gion and was instrumental In e? tablishing a laboratory here, he lid not live to see this accom plished On June 1. 1800, the U. 8. Bu reau of Fisheries established a ?m Nuuron lab, r? ?, im. t Members of the fisheries laboratory staff are, front row, left to right, Elijah Gairrison, mechanic; Don LaPointe, James Sykes, William Davis, biologists; John Mason, buildings and grounds; and Mrs. Olive Davis, secretary; bark row, left to right, Kenneth F**chler and Jack Lewis, biologists, Claude Guthrie, superintendent of buildings and grounds; Charles Walburg, biologist; and Gerald B. Talbot, chief. Middle Atlantic Fisheries Investigations. The menhaden investigations staff are, front row, left to right, Walter Moore. Charles Roithmayr, bi ologists; Mrs. Thelma Penny, administrative officer; Miss Maureen Downey, secretary; and Fred June, chief, menhaden investigations; back row, left to right, Earl Deubler, Kobert Lewis, Doyle Sutherland and Joe Higham, biologists. New Research Realm Laboratory Conducts Radioisotope Studies ! Radioisotope studies on marine algae, shellfish, and fishes are be ing conducted at the Marine Biolo gical Laboratory of the U. S. Fish and Wildlife Service located on Pivers Island at Beaufort. These investigations on the ac cumulation. body distribution, and rate of loss of radioactive ele ments by marine organisms are carried on by Dr. Walter A. Chip man, director, and his staff, as a joint project of the Fish and Wild life Service and the Atomic Energy Commission. The work deals with the physio logy of marine plankton, which serve as food organisms for ma rine animals and fishes, and the uptake of chemicals from this food by shellfish and fishes, particu larly oysters, clams, scallops, and menhaden. The accumulation and body dis tribution of radioactive materials contained in their food is also in vestigated in shrimps, crabs, croak ers, bluefish, and albacorc. Some I of the major things to b<y learned [from tiiese studies arc an under standing of the feeding activities of shellfish and fishes, how the chcmical elements in the food are utilized, and in what form and at what rate elements arc excreted from the body. Besides Dr. Chipman, the direc tor, the staff consists of four re search biologists, Dr. T. R. Rice, who received his degree at Har vard University; Dr. Donald K Mc I.oughlin, who received his degree at the University of Illinois; T. J. Price, who received his mas ters degree at the University of Maryland; and John P. Baptist, who received his master's degree at Bucknell University. An assistant biologist, Miss Joyce Smith, is completing her master's degree at Duke Univer sity. On the permanent staff also are John Parkin, boat captain; Charles F. Willis, fisheries assist ant; and Mrs. Audrey Lewis, sec retary. Four assistant biologists are employed during the summer months. The project hat excellent facil ities for obtaining fish and shell fish, and for holding fish in ponds and tanks supplied with a good flow *f sea water. The laboratory, a one-story white frame building, has a plankton culture and re search room, a biology and phy siology room with flowing salt water tables and tanks, a biochem Tagged Trout Taken Off Oregon Inlet A fish tag, attached to a spotted trout in Virginia last fall, was re turned to the Virginia Fisheries Laboratory early this year from North Carolina. Tagged in Lynnhaven Inlet on Oct. 27, 1954, by W. H. Massmann and C. E. Richards of the Glouces ter Point Laboratory, this fish was recaptured in a haul seine at Ore gon Inlet, North Carolina, about 80 miles from the point of release. Each year, numbers of these fish migrate into Lynnhaven Inlet, and many fishermen believe that these trout remain in the inlet through out the winter, moving out later. The tagging was done to provide information on the movements of these fish. ical research laboratory room, of fices and a room for measurement of radioactive materials which is very well supplied with the neces sary electronic instruments. The various laboratory rooms are especially well-equipped with scientific instruments for the work. The information gained in these studies appears in reports to the Atomic Energy Commission and the Fish and Wildlife Service, as well as in scientific journals. The investigations, although of the nature of basic fundamental research, hav* phases which later develop an applied use and as such become valuable to the fish ing industry. Personnel at Ihr ahrllflih laboratory are, fraat raw, left !? right. Jack Price and Ma Raptlit. btoto gliti; bark raw, left to right. Mlaa Rebecca Smith, laboratory technician; Dr. T. R. Rice, blologM; Dr. Waller tlilpman. chief, ahelldih laveaUgattone; Dr. Dan McLaughlin, hletoglat; and Mm. Audrey llewta, ?ecretary. Abaent when the picture waa taken were John Parkin, beat captain, and C. Fred WUIIa,
Carteret County News-Times (Morehead City, N.C.)
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Oct. 11, 1955, edition 3
25
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