R. M. Johnston memorial lecture: Science and sea fisheries with special reference to Australia

One of my very worthy predecessors has indicated in his inimitable way the difficulties which face anyone honoured by (~lection to deliver a lecture which has been instituted to bear memory to a great pionem·.
'l'here is to my mind always much difficulty in framing those lectures which are expected to do justice to a seat of office. The task is, however, immeasurably greater when a lecture is to serve as an offering in memory of a great man. The best I can do is to choose a subject close to my heart and I have selected one associated with the sea for I was first trained in a school of Marine Zoology at a Univel'sity in a great seaport~that of Liverpool in England, and since I was by nature fond of the sea, my investigations have practically always been associated with marine problems. Whether the work was what some would call of pure scientific value or not, it has almost always been intimately connected with fishermen and fishery problems.
I make no apology, however, for selecting a subject associated with the sea and its products. The history of Hobart Town itself, its early pre-eminence in whaling and shipbuilding, is fortunately somewhat familial' to me. Is not this the obvious place for discoursing on sea products? But that is only to provide the background. The man whose memory we honour this evening was ,me of Tasmania'" pioneers in the fishery problems. For several years he was a member of the fishery boards. He was the author of a number of papers on fishes. Moreover, if it were Johnston's hobbies~geology, zoology, and botany--which claimed the attention of his brotlwy scientists, may I say that Biological Science to-day is bceoming in many fields a statistical science, as you will see tonight. R .Johnston's life work was that carried out as the pioneer Government Statistician for Tasmania, I render my homage gladly and humbly to his name. Australia has urgent need to-day of servants with such broad outlooks