Hardy

Alister Hardy made a massive contribution to the scientific study of fisheries and their food—the plankton - for which he was knighted.  From 1925-27, he was chief biologist on the 'Discovery' Expedition to Antarctica.  An account of this “cruise” is given in his book Great Waters (1967), beautifully illustrated with his water colours.  On the return leg to South Africa, when passing through the roaring forties, Hardy wedged himself on the foredeck, with a jar of water hanging around his neck, to paint impressions of the great waves.

Probably one of his most significant contributions, certainly to the public awareness of science of the oceans, are his two books in the Collins New Naturalist Series The Open Sea: the World of Plankton (published 1956) and the companion volume Fish and Fisheries (published 1959).  The colour plates in the first of these volumes have been, and continue to be, a fascination and inspiration to many and part reason why some of us ended up as ocean scientists.