HSHM 211 Lecture Notes - Lecture 6: Spencer Fullerton Baird, Atlantic Bluefin Tuna, Antiscience

• School: Yale University
• Department: Hist of Science, Hist of Med
• Course: HSHM 211
• Professor: William Rankin

Document Summary

During this period, largely believed that science fuels capitalism: capitalism corrupts science in decline. Expert on birds, not fish: federal govt. would provide scientific solutions that would not interfere with private initiative or state-level regulation. Scientific advice and knowledge, but would not take over fisheries or tell states how they should balance interests of fishers, loggers, etc. Hybrid system that was not totally private or state-run: proposed fish culture: artificial reproduction of fish. Directly supplement areas with problems with artificially created fish eggs or fish. Get eggs from female fish and milt (fish sperm) from male fish. Sprinkle milt on eggs and release eggs or fish into waters. In theory, artificial reproduction would be very successful, many more fish would reach maturity than in wild. No one had to change behavior, people could keep fishing without limit. So govt. started sponsoring hatcheries: but, hatcheries did not work, often did not get enough eggs, logger problems, spring floods.