Fowler, Stanley (1895 - 1961)

Summary

Stanley Fowler "played a key role in organizing the Australian Fisheries Conference which recommended in 1929 that a federal body be established to conduct a 'scientific, statistical and practical investigation of the fisheries, aimed at their commercial exploitation'. Transferring to the Council for Scientific and Industrial Research as fisheries officer in 1935, he was involved in discussions that led to its fisheries investigations section (later fisheries division) being formed in 1937. Fowler immediately joined the new section." From the Australian Dictionary of Biography Volume 14 (1996)

Details

From the Australian Dictionary of Biography Volume 14 (1996): "He was concerned that much of Australia's coastline had 'not been explored in a fisheries sense'. With the co-operation of the Royal Australian Air Force, in 1936-39 and 1942-46 he undertook a series of aerial observations of pelagic stock in coastal waters. Fowler spent hundreds of hours in the air, photographing often vast and previously unknown shoals of fish, including such species as the Australian salmon and bluefin tuna. The results were brilliant. His photographs-some 10,000 in all-are still frequently consulted by fisheries scientists and others interested in the Australian coastline."

Chronology

August 1935

Event - Commonwealth fisheries investigations transferred to CSIR; Stanley Fowler seconded to CSIR; Prof. W. J. Dakin appointed marine biology adviser

October 1936

Event - First CSIR aerial survey offish stocks made by Stanley Fowler in a seagull amphibian off NSW, Victoria, Tasmania

Related entries

Published resources

Books

• Roughley, T. C., Fish and fisheries of Australia (Sydney: Angus & Robertson, 1951), 344 pp. Details

Book Sections

• Laurent, John, 'Fowler, Stanley (1895-1961), fisheries researcher' in Australian dictionary of biography, volume 14: 1940 - 1980 Di-Kel, John Ritchie, ed. (Melbourne: Melbourne University Press, 1996), p. 210. https://adb.anu.edu.au/biography/fowler-stanley-10232. Details

Edited Books

• Mawson, Vivienne, Tranter, David J.; and Pearce, Alan F. eds, CSIRO at Sea: 50 Years of Marine Science (Hobart: CSIRO Marine Laboratories, 1988), 216 pp. Details

Resource Sections

• Kay, Bruce, 'No time lost - Stanley Fowler', in Stories from the archives, National Archives of Australia, Canberra, 1 March 2024. https://www.naa.gov.au/blog/no-time-lost-stanley-fowler. Details
• Lawrie, Tarryn, 'Ships ahoy! Surveying Australian waters for science', in Stories from the archives, National Archives of Australia, Canberra, 8 June 2021. https://www.naa.gov.au/blog/ships-ahoy-surveying-australian-waters-science. Details