Seas of the Academy of Sciences of the Ukrainian S.S.R. (formerly the Sevastopol Biological Station) celebrated the centennial of its foundation in September 1971. The century-long history of this institution, which developed from a small station with a staff of about ten supported by the Novorossiysk (Odessa) Society of Naturalists and private contributions, mirrors the successive stages of the development of hydrobiology as a science. One of the oldest institutions in its field, the Institute accomplished a great deal in furthering the origination and progress of new trends in the study of marine life. A brief survey of the Institute's past activity is, therefore, of interest not only in connection with its anniversary, but also from the standpoint of the history of hydrobiology. The consistent and accelerating growth of the Institute is due t o the profound historical process of humanity's technical progress, which has led during the past decades to a sharp increase in the utilization of the resources of the seas and oceans, and in the necessity for studying the underwater world.
The foundation of the SevastopolBiological Station in 1871 was an indication of the intense growth of biological science in Russia during the latter half of the 19th century under the leadership of K. A. TIMIRYAZEV, L. S. TSENKOVSKY, 52.