- Ernest William Lyons Holt
Ernest William Lyons Holt (
October 17 ,1864 –June 10 ,1922 ) was an eminent English marine naturalist andbiologist specialized inichthyology , the study offish . His work helped lay a scientific foundation for the fishery management inIreland , and together withWilliam Spotswood Green , he strongly influenced the development of the Irish Fisheries in its early years.Born in
London , Ernest Holt was educated at Eton, where he won a prize in biology. After school, he entered theBritish Army , enrolling at Sandhurst and, his training completed, was posted to theDuke of Cornwall's Light Infantry . He participated in theNile Campaign (1884/85) and then in theThird Burmese War of 1886/87. During that latter campaign, he fell sick and was invalided home.Back in civilian life, Holt began studying
zoology at the University ofSt. Andrews in 1888. Two years later, he participated as assistant-naturalist in a fishery survey on the west coast of Ireland, organized by theRoyal Dublin Society . This expedition was led byWilliam Spotswood Green , with whom Holt would work together for much of his later career. That survey made Holt's name as an ichthyologist; he published not only several papers on the eggs and the early larval stages of fish but also wrote the general report of the expedition. As a result of Green's and Holt's work, the government instituted a formal program of fishery surveys under the auspice of the newly formed Congested Districts Board in 1892. Green became the board's Chief Inspector of Fisheries, while Holt participated as a scientific advisor, although he would leave Ireland for a few years.Holt joined the
Marine Biological Association (MBA) and worked until 1894 atGrimsby , where he was in charge of a newly openend research station for theNorth Sea . After a brief stint at the "Station zoologique d'Endoumes" atMarseille he then worked for three years at thePlymouth Marine Laboratory. Nevertheless, E. W. L. Holt maintained his ties with Ireland, and in 1895 he purchased a dismastedbrigantine named "Saturn" for the Royal Dublin Society and had it equipped as a marine biology research station. In 1899, he returned to Ireland, taking charge of the "Saturn" and her four small auxiliary sailing boats used for sampling. The floating laboratory was stationed in theConnemara district inCounty Galway ; it lay atBallynakill in winter and was towed to Inishbofin for the summer months. In 1900, the "Saturn" was transferred to the newDepartment of Agriculture and Technical Instruction for Ireland . Green became Chief Inspector of its Fisheries Branch; Holt was at first scientific advisor and later, as of 1908, Fisheries Inspector. They were joined by other young biologists, among themRowland Southern andGeorge Philip Farrar .With the department's research and fisheries protection vessel "Helga" they continued their surveys of the west coast of Ireland. In 1908, the ship was replaced by a new one, the "Helga II", which was built to the specifications of Green and Holt. With Holt's backing, the new ship participated in the Clare Island Survey of 1909–1911. When that was completed, the "Helga II" returned to her regular fisheries research and protection duties under the direction of Holt.
When Green retired in 1914, Holt succeeded him as Chief Inspector. Scientific work was stopped when
World War I broke out, and the administrative duties of his post did not allow Holt to continue research work of his own. After the war, the political changes in Ireland as well as Holt's failing health prevented further serious research. In May 1922, Holt became seriously ill and leftDublin for London, where he died on June 10 that year ofBright's disease (an old term forglomerulonephritis , a kidney disease). In 1949, the MBA put into service a research vessel named after him.References
* [http://www.tmbl.gu.se/libdb/taxon/personetymol/petymol.h.html Biographical Etymology of Marine Organisms – H] .
*Collins, T.: "Oysters and antiquities: a biographical note on E.W.L. Holt," Journal of the Galway Archaeological and Historical Society 43, pp. 158–166; 1991.
*Collins, T.: "The "Helga/Muirchu:" Her Contribution to Galway Maritime History," Journal of the Galway Archaeological and Historical Society 54, pp. 141–167, 2002.Further reading
*Gordon, J. D. M.: " [http://journal.nafo.int/archive22-33/J31/session1/gordon.pdf The Rockall Trough, Northeast Atlantic: the Cradle of Deep-sea Biological Oceanography that is Now Being Subjected to Unsustainable Fishing Activity] ", J. Northw. Atl. Fish. Sci., Vol. 31: 57?83, 2003. Has some info on the "two" research vessels named "Helga" and their expeditions.
* [http://43.1911encyclopedia.org/F/FI/FISHERIES.htm 1911 Encyclopedia Britannica article on "Fisheries"] mentions E. W. L. Holt several times.
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