Biological stations and the study of marine life: Umberto D'Ancona and the Hydrobiological Station of Chioggia (1940-1964)

Abstract

Marine zoological stations played an important role in the history of biology and the study of marine life. From the 1870s onward, a large number of biological stations were founded across Europe from Naples to Bergen. In the light of the new theory of evolution and the emerging discipline of ecology, it becomes increasingly necessary for biologists to study nature in the field. Beginning in the second half of the 19th century, much of the research on aquatic organisms was conducted at such stations. The aquatic environment appeared to be particularly suitable for research on the theory of evolution, on embryology, physiology, anatomy, and organism-environment interactions. Marine stations also served as sites for the study of fishery management and fish farming and aquaculture. The hydrobiological station located in the town of Chioggia on the Venetian Lagoon represents one of the less well-known examples of such research centres. It was set up in 1940 by the Italian zoologist Umberto D'Ancona of the University of Padua (1896-1964), who modelled it on already existing zoology, hydrobiology, and fish farming stations in Italy and abroad. Their research was conducted on the ecosystems of the Venetian Lagoon and the northern part of the Adriatic Sea, the natural stocks of valuable commercial fish species, and the reproductive biology of various teleosts. This essay will review the history of the Hydrobiological Station in Chioggia during the period 1940-1964 when it was directed by D'Ancona, its work in the fields of marine biology and fishery, and its ties with other marine stations in Italy and abroad.