Welcome to
the atlases of illustrations
of
"The Fisheries and Fisheries Industries of
the United States".
These
wonderful works resulted from a study undertaken in the 1880's by George
Brown Goode, Deputy Commissioner of the United States Commission of
Fish and Fisheries. The purpose of this study was to capture the state
of the American fisheries at that time and to use the knowledge gained
as a base line for future studies. Goode admirably succeeded in this,
but at the same time he also captured an interesting segment of Nineteenth
Century Americana and helped describe a significant part of the marine
environment.
The two atlases
of illustrations had 532 etchings between them that illustrated the
various species of marine mammals, fish, and shellfish that were considered
to be of economic value at that time and also illustrated the state
of fishing vessels, fishing gear, fishing methods, and fish processing.
Many of these etchings are beautiful works of art that transcend the
original purpose of describing a species or capturing the fishing technology
of the times. In fact, it is worthwhile to view many of the high resolution
photographs by clicking below the 700-pixel wide image to grasp the
level of detail, time, and care associated with producing many of the
plates in the two atlases.
Come join the National
Marine Fisheries Service, descendant of the old "Fish Commission", in
thumbing through this family album of the American Fisheries.
Natural
History of Useful Aquatic Animals
This atlas of
illustrations accompanying Section I - Natural History of Useful
Aquatic Animals - contains almost 300 plates. These plates detail
appearance and behavior of numerous marine mammals and the appearance
of many marine vertebrates and invertebrates. The care taken in producing
these images was remarkable. Scale structure, facial appearance, teeth,
and many other details of external appearance are apparent in these
images. This site will be of value and interest to all those interested
in marine biology as well as those interested in the art of biological
illustration.
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Marine
Mammals
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Fish
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Shellfish
and Miscellaneous Sea Creatures
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History
and Methods of Fisheries
The
atlas of illustrations accompanying Section V - History and Methods
of the Fisheries - contains 255 plates that detail methods of the
American fisheries in the late Nineteenth Century. Besides detailing
fishing methods, these images are sources of information for the late
Nineteenth Century concerning vessel design, shoreline appearance in
various areas, the state of fish processing industrial installations,
and the life and times of the fisheries sub-culture of the larger American
social structure. This site will be of value and interest to all those
interested in the past and present state of American fisheries as well
as little-known facets of the industrial and social history of the United
States.
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Halibut
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Cod,
Hake and Haddock
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Mackerel
and Swordfish
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Menhaden
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Herring
and Sardine
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Spanish
Mackerel, Mullet and Pound-Net
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River
Fisheries of the Atlantic States
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Salmon
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Whale
and Porpoise
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Walrus,
Seal, Sealion and Sea Otter
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Turtle,
Shellfish and Sponge
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