Museum NOTES 19

Representative species of some of the genera that are plentiful in our waters are
shown on Plates I.—IV., with notes on their occurrence.

Until the present time there has been no systematic collecting of “plankton” on
the B. C. coast; however, this year (1927) Dr. A. H. Hutchinson has regularly col-
lected surface and deep water “plankton” in the southern part of the Strait of Georgia
from the Biological Station at Nanaimo, but he has not yet issued his report.

Dr. H. C. Williamson, for the Biological Board, has collected “plankton” during
his fishery investigations on the west coast of Vancouver Island at numerous localities
from Barkley Sound to Quatsino, and the writer has examined some five hundred
samples taken by him during the years 1926 and 1927.

The writer has also taken and examined numerous samples since 1923 in the northern
‘portion of the Strait of Georgia and around the Biological Station near Nanaimo.

Queen Charlotte Sound and Hecate Strait have not been examined for “plankton,”
but a surface sample taken by U.SS. “Pioneer” in April, 1923, north of Hope Island,
gave 1,800,000 diatom cells to the, pint of sea water; this would be during the vernal
maximum.

If the two last named areas are included, 10 million acres would be a conservative
estimate of the prolific “plankton” area of B. C. waters, and it might be found to be
even twice this or more; we may therefore safely/ conclude that any diminution in the
B. C. fisheries is not likely to be due to any lack of feed in the sea.

The collection of representative samples of “plankton” at depths ranging from the
surface to 300 or 400 fathoms requires special and various apparatus; temperatures
also have to be ascertained and samples of water from various depths taken; on this
account specially equipped vessels have to be employed; one such, the “A. P. Knight,”
is kept by the Biological Board of Canada at their station at Departure Bay, Nanaimo.
It is to be hoped they may’ be able in the near future to provide a vessel suitable for
such work on the west coast throughout the year.