❖ MIGRATION STUDY WITH THE STORM ❖ 1967

Purse Seiner STORM
ON 238689
Built in 1939, Tacoma, WA.
Photographed near Sitka, Alaska, as the scientists
studied the migrations of young salmon
along the West Coast.
Click to enlarge.
Original photo from the archives of the
Saltwater People Historical Society©

"When the U of WA Fisheries members go out to catch salmon, it is somewhat more complicated than a sportsman's weekend fishing trip.
      One of the scientific journeys involved tons of equipment, an 85-ft-long purse seiner with an experienced crew to operate it, radar, sonar, and a fishing net that stretches out 6 1/2 acres. With all that, they returned without a fish!
      The whole purpose of these voyages along the northern portion of the West Coast is research, of course. The Fisheries Research Institute has been turning its attention to young salmon and their habits upon leaving their native streams. The salmon were netted, tagged, and let go again.
     Like most fishermen, scientists require a boat, fishing gear, and food. There the similarity ends. The university chartered two different purse seiners, the STORM, and the COMMANDER, both out of Seattle. The boats are manned by a skipper, an engineer, a cook, and four fishermen and require such navigational equipment as two sets of radar, a two-way radio, and a sonar device for depth soundings.
      With the boats reserved for a 10-to-20-day trip, the university scientists  loaded aboard some rather bulky equipment, including a 1,000-gallon "live" tank to carry the fish and a special seine of fine mesh which weighed 7 1/2 tons. In addition, smaller but necessary equipment was required, such as a bathythermograph for recording the temperature of the water at varying depths and a Secchi disk for checking water clarity.
      Finally, the crew, plus the scientists and three graduate students, must have enough food, clothes, and personal belongings stocked aboard to last the entire trip, for they might not see land in all that time. Still, they returned without a fish. But their research goes a long way to providing a better understanding of the life history of the salmon, as well as aiding North Pacific salmon fisheries resources."
Tom Stockley, Seattle Times. November 1967.