Raymond Fritz
Voices from the Science Centers
Voices from the Science Centers is an oral history initiative dedicated to documenting the institutional knowledge of fisheries scientists and administrators in the labs of NOAA’s Fisheries Science Centers.
Born in 1926, Ray Fritz grew up in Detroit, Michigan and attended Michigan State College. He graduated in 1953 with a Bachelors in Biology and Zoology. He began his career with the Bureau of Commercial Fisheries as a biologist at the Woods Hole Lab in 1956. During his time in Woods Hole, he spent time at-sea on the R/V Albatross III and R/V Albatross IV. He served as Chief Scientist on both vessels. In the late 1960's, he moved to Headquarters in Washington where he worked with the Federal Aid Program and served as Chief of Law Enforcement for National Marine Fisheries Service. Mr. Fritz moved to the National Fish and Wildlife Service and was the Outer Continental Coordinator for Oil and Gas Development before his retirement.
Interview contains discussion of: Early methods of surveying groundfish populations, Saltonstall-Kennedy Bill, initial international cooperation on fisheries management, R/V Albatross III, ICNAF, evolution of trawl surveys, early computers in fishery management, effect of technology on fisheries management, R/V Albatross IV, Hague Line, Fishery Conservation and Management Act, Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution, measuring fish escapement, researching silver hake feeding habits.
Ray Fritz’s interview contains a detailed description of his work at the Woods Hole lab in the 1950s and 1960s. He goes into particular detail about his involvement and experiences on 3 research cruises aboard the Albatross III and Albatross IV, as well as the effect of technology and computers on fisheries research.
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