The US Commission of Fish and Fisheries was established by Congress in 1871

This was the first federal resource management agency

The Commission was charged with determining whether fish stocks were declining, and if so, why

President Grant appointed Spencer Baird the first US Fish Commissioner

Baird chose Woods Hole as a location and had a lab built in 1875

The first lab was a two-story building that included research aquaria

Baird began the policy of allowing the public access to research aquaria