[?]racing a River

[?]Ork Of Us

[?]Arine Scientists

[?]racing a River [?] the Ocean

jWERYONE knows something J about the Gulf Stream of the Atlantic, but not many, even sidents of the Pacific Islands, know uch about the Counter Equatorial arrent which flows like a great Per across the Pacific from west east—back against the Trade inds and the general surface drift tropical Pacific waters.

The men who have most to do th the Counter Equatorial Current s the Masters of the Western cific High Commissions’ small ift which maintain communica ns within the Gilbert and Ellice ands, and with the Northern Line ands far to the eastward.

Vot a great deal is known of the unter Equatorial Current, except it it is one of the answers as to at happens to all the water that pushed westward by the trade ids. It flows back to the eastward ng that zone where the North 5t Trades of the Northern Pacific 1 the South East Trades of the ith Pacific meet—if not exactly d on, at least in such a way that y cancel each other out and re ; * n the Doldrums—a zone of ns and variables, an area which rates slightly north and south a the seasons. ecently the United States Fish Wildlife research vessel, Hugh M. th, engaged on an American me Oceanic Fishery Investiga s project, came south from iolulu to locate the exact ; hern boundary of this great :n stream. The Gulf Stream’s gins are often visible to the eye ugh a difference in the colour ae water, and easily determined the marked difference in tem ture. ie Counter Equatorial Current is so spectacular in this regard, there is a marked though small lerature difference, and this rence was used by the Hugh M. h researchers. ie vessel sailed due south from )lulu towards Christmas Island the northern margin of CEC at 10 degrees 30 minutes i latitude. She then sailed pard for 2,500 miles on a zig eourse, crossing and recrossing tream’s border and plotting its - position at frequent points, work took from September 26 :tober 16 last, and it was found the stream’s northern border deviated more than 20 miles \ or south of 10 degrees 20 tes north, in all of the 2,500 cruised. s known that the CEC not only

has a seasonal movement north and south, but also varies from year to year, as does the doldrum zone Both have a tremendous effect on the climate of the Line Islands.

But the Hugh M. Smith ers are more interested in its fishing potentialities and influences. Ameri can tuna fishermen know that where such ocean streams meet, fish are often found in profusion. They want to know how far south they will have to come at different times of finp y fnH fish , along the invisible line, and they also want to know the temperature difference, and the abundance of plankton at vo lS ,u marginal zone > is sufficient to exploitable Concentra-

The answer so far does not seem to have been encouraging. The re search vessels Hugh M. Smith and John R. Manning have been coming south of the Line Islands area for several years past, sampling water at many depths, studying it for plankton, etc., and also to actually fish the area—the proof of the pudding!

Results have been very irregular as far as fish hauls are concerned.

But the work goes on, and the “by products” of this work will be of value to navigators, climatologists, and perhaps even coconut planters. t A branch of the ANZ Bank has been opened in Lae, NG. Mr. A. Watt is manager.