Storm Warning: America's Earth Science · Episode 2 of 12 · 32 min
Baird's Fish: Counting What You Can't See
Spencer Baird and the 1871 Fish Commission decided to count the fish in the sea, building the science and the Woods Hole laboratory that an Alaska salmon season still runs on. Congress acted when New England catches failed, and Baird's work shaped American fisheries science, hatcheries and the first dedicated research ship, the Albatross.
Who's who
- Spencer Fullerton Baird+1 more episodeNaturalist who founded American fisheries science
- Ulysses S. Grant+8 more episodesPresident who appointed Baird Fish Commissioner in 1871
- George Brown GoodeBaird's protégé and Assistant Commissioner
- Alpheus HyattBoston naturalist whose research station model influenced Baird
- John HareNOAA Northeast Fisheries Science Center research director
Where it happens
- Woods Hole, Massachusetts+1 more episodeSite of the Fish Commission's laboratory
- McCloud River, CaliforniaSite of Baird Station, the first federal fish hatchery
- New England coastRegion whose failing catches prompted Congress to act
Timeline
- 1871Fish Commission established; Baird arrives at Woods Hole
- 1875Baird Station becomes the first federal fish hatchery
- 1882USS Albatross launched for marine research
- 1885Permanent Woods Hole laboratory completed
- 1970Fisheries service moves into the new NOAA
- 2025NOAA Fisheries loses nearly 550 staff and cannot complete scheduled stock assessments
Still debated
Baird weighed natural factors such as bluefish predation and did not simply blame humans. Hatcheries later proved harmful to wild populations, and the Commission could recommend but not compel remedies, which some call the founding flaw of fisheries policy.
Connected episodes in other series
Why the Sioux Refuse Over a Billion DollarsAs Long as the Grass Grows · Episode 9Also features Ulysses S. Grant
Free and Open: The Law That Gave Away the WestFree and Open: The 1872 Mining Law · Episode 1Also features Ulysses S. Grant
The Eastern Ghost: The Lesson the West IgnoredRivers Reborn · Episode 8Also features Ulysses S. Grant
The Training Ground: The Officers Who Would Break the UnionTake the Land, Not the People · Episode 2Also features Ulysses S. Grant