From mangroves to fish life histories
Schmidt’s early research on Thai mangroves became his doctoral dissertation in 1903. That year he also began directing Thor expeditions near the Faroes and Iceland. Collecting fish larvae at different developmental stages helped reveal spawning areas and the movements of young fish with currents.
References: [1]
Following the youngest larvae
Mediterranean searches failed to locate the European freshwater eel’s breeding grounds. Schmidt subsequently concentrated on the Atlantic. Surveys in 1913–1914 and 1920–1922 found the smallest eel larvae in the Sargasso Sea. His inference concerned the breeding region; it did not depend on directly witnessing adult eels spawn.
References: [1]
The Dana expedition
As director of the Carlsberg Laboratory’s physiological department, Schmidt led the 1928–1930 circumnavigation. The Carlsberg Foundation, Danish government and shipping interests supplied funding, vessel and personnel support, and specimen transport. Work on the collections continued long after the voyage.
References: [1]