TROPICAL
ATLANTIC

BIOLOGICAL
LABORATORY

Marine Bi'^logicsl Laboratory

LIBRARY

HOLE, IVIASS.

MIAMI, FLORIDA

UNITED STATES
DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR

U.S. FISH AND WILDLIFE SERVICE
Bureau of Commercial Fisheries

Circular 305

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The Bureau of Commercial Fisheries Tropical At-
lantic Biological Laboratory", 75 Virginia Beach Drive,
Miami, Fla. 33149, dedicated in November 1965, oc-
cupies a 5-acre tract of land on the shores of Biscayne
Bay. The laborator)- ( TABL ) is near the Virginia Key
Campus of the Institute of Marine Sciences, Univer-
sity of Miami; the site of a new U.S. Department of
Commerce Environmental Science Services Admin-
istration facility; and the Miami Seaquarium. There
are 75 employees of whom 26 are scientists. The
Laborator)''s 143-foot research vessel Undaunted, a
converted Navy tug, operates in the Caribbean Sea
and the tropical Atlantic Ocean.

Laboratory' facilities include specially designed
aquaria for rearing fish, a nontoxic dual sea-water sys-
tem, a serological laboratory, a photographic labora-

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tory, hard and soft X-ray capabilities, a modern library
of 1,500 books of which 700 are current periodicals
from all parts of the world, and an ichthyological mu-
seum containing thousands of marine specimens. The
staff also has access to the excellent library of the Insti-
tute of Marine Sciences, University of Miami.

The Laboratory was first established in 1959 at
Washington, D.C. The staff was transferred to Miami
in 1965 when a new building was constructed on land
donated to the Federal Government by Dade County.
The Laboratory was founded as a result of the U.S.
Government's participation in ICITA (International
Cooperative Investigations of the Tropical Adantic) —
a 2 -year synoptic survey of the fishery resources of the
waters off West Africa from the Congo River north to
the Cape Verde Islands, under the sponsorship of

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The Undaunted, BCF research vessel operating out of Miami, Fla.
for TABL, as she departs on one of her frequent cruises in tropica

UNESCO's Intergovernmental Oceanographic Com-
mission. The finding of potential commercial quantities
of tuna and other fisher\' resources made it feasible to
continue investigations in the area of the Gulf of
Guinea.

The broad objectives of the Laborator)- are : ( 1 ) to
obtain and make available to U.S. fishermen the knowl-
edge needed to increase the total fishery yield at reduced
costs; (2 ) to assist the dexeloping nations bordering the
tropical Atlantic to increase the yield of marine protein
food resources from adjacent oceanic areas; and (3) to
provide the knowledge needed to develop and apply
sound conservation policies, particularly for Atlantic
tunas.

The Laboratory has made se\eral significant con-
tributions during the short period of its existence. They
include participation with other nations in the discovery
of the Guinea Undercurrent and the Atlantic Equato-
rial Undercurrent; participation in the first transmission
of oceanic data from a research vessel on station via
communications satellite (NASA's Syncom II) to a
shore-based receiving center (the National Oceanog-
raphic Data Center, Washington, D.C.) and return of
corrected data to the vessel ; coordination of a statistical
and biological sampling program with West African
countries ; preparation of an atlas of the mean monthly
sea surface temperatures in the tropical Atlantic be-
tween Africa and South America from about 3 million
observations; and the preparation (either published or

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Atlantic waters. The 143-foot, twin diesel-engine ship has a cruising
range of 9,500 miles and carries 27 people.

in press) of more than 80 scientific papers. The atlas
is scheduled for publication by the American Geo-
graphical Society.

Visiting investigators are welcome. Limited space is
available for obseners on research cruises. Arrange-
ments should be made by correspondence with the
Laboratory Director.

A deck sample of 25 skipjack tunas caught by Undau,
men off St. Vincent Island, B.W.I., winter 1966.

The area under investigation by TABL marine sc

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The beginning of a Niskin cast on the Undaunted. Several of
these bottles are lowered to record water temperatures and
chemical components of sea water at different depths.

sts and some of the research operations.

The national objectives of the Bureau of Com-
mercial Fisheries are to:

Increase the net contribution of aquatic, living
commercial resources to the Nation's economy;

Increase efficiency so that the economic status of
those engaged in the fishing industry is improved;

Provide for the growing and diversified demands
of the x\merican people for fish and shellfish
products whether in the form of edible foods or
other products, from efficient and economical
sources;

Seek means of bringing more of the world's
aquatic resources into economic, commercial pro-
duction for the benefit of all mankind;

Contribute to man's understanding and control
of aquatic living resources and their environment.

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As the Nation's principal conservation agency, the
Department of the Interior has basic responsibilities
for water, fish, wildlife, mineral, land, park, and
1 ecreational resources. Indian and Territorial affairs
are other major concerns of America's "Department
of Natural Resources."

The Department works to assure the wisest choice in
managing all our resources so each will make its full
contribution to a better United States — now and in
the future.

Washington, D.C.

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U.S. GOVERNMENT PRINTING OFFICE: 1968 —0-3I8-647