Neptune's Needle

Born in Pennsylvania, graduate of Dickinson College (1840); attended College of Physicians & Surgeons 1841-42; cortege of George Perkins Marsh and Louis Agassiz; became ass't sec'y of Smithsonian Institution in 1850; first head of US Fish Commission, 1871-1887. Zoologist and scientific administrator

Baird's greatest contributions were in the fields of ichthyology and systematic ornithology. Fish and birds were major interests from his years at Dickinson and remained dominant interests throughout his life. Recognizing the declining commercial fishery resources of North America, Baird began studying the negative impacts of intensive use of various fish capture methods, unlimited harvest, and restrictions to fish movements, following his studies up with development of techniques for transporting live fishes, hatching fish eggs, and rearing fish in ponds and recommendations for legal restrictions to maintain sustainable fisheries resources. In 1863 Baird first visited the Atlantic coast near Woods Hole, Massachusetts, and recognized it as a site free from pollutants and perfect for studying ocean fisheries. In 1871 he expressed his concerns for American fisheries to the Congressional Appropriations Committee, and in 1871, at Baird's urging and design, Congress authorized the appointment of a commissioner of fish and fisheries to evaluate the status of and protect the economic fisheries of the United States. Baird was appointed to the position. In 1885, under Baird's direction, the Fish Commission established a laboratory at Woods Hole, where in 1888 it was joined by the university-sponsored Marine Biological Laboratory and in 1930 by the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution.

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Compiler

Peter Richards