Theodore Roughley
He is best known for his work on the Sydney Rock Oyster and its commercial cultivation, and for his books and other publications, mainly on marine science, which he skillfully illustrated with his own artwork and photography.
[1][2] It was only in 1933, when he was already a well-known zoologist, that the university awarded him a Bachelor of Science degree, on the basis of his work, The Life History of the Australian Oyster (Ostrea commercialis)', published in the Proceedings of the Linnean Society of New South Wales.
Roughly joined the staff of the Sydney Technological Museum, in 1911 as an Economic Zoologist, a position that he would hold for 28 years.
[9] In 1922, Roughley's, long paper, Oyster Culture on the Georges River, New South Wales, was published in hardcover by the museum.
[11] In 1928, Roughley was the first to discover that the Sydney Rock Oyster changed sex, from male to female, during its life cycle, something that brought him international attention.
[13][14] For many decades afterwards, the oyster farmers of the Georges River limited the impact of winter mortality, by moving their oysters on trays, to more sheltered waters with lower salinity, such as near the Woronora River confluence and Bonnet Bay, and then placing the trays on racks higher in the intertidal zone.
[27] In the same year, he wrote a newspaper article, on his visit to the British Barrier Reef expedition on Low Island.
[36][37] In the late 1930s, Roughley's work and encouragement led to the establishment of the first commercial fish cannery in New South Wales, at Narooma.
Acting on Roughley's prediction, the first such ocean prawning ground was found off Newcastle, in the same year,[44][1] and the first one off the South Coast in 1950.
[50][51] He also took a strong interest in the decline of the Murray cod, which he later stated, "must be classed as one of the finest freshwater fish to be found anywhere in the world".
[2] A keen angler himself, Roughley encouraged the development of big game sport fishing around Bermagui—an area famed for its Marlin—during the second half of the 1930s, including an association with Zane Grey.
Reflecting on his time as Superintendent of Fisheries he stated that it had been the most difficult years of his career, because he had to take measures that were unpopular with fishermen to protect fish stocks.
[68] He continued to attend the annual conferences of the NSW Oyster Farmers Association, until at earliest 1956, and was a vice president of that organisation in 1954.
[20] Roughley continued his efforts, including through newspaper articles, to broaden the conservative Australian diet, lamenting its monotony.
He noted, approvingly, the changes beginning to occur in the range of seafood available in the fish markets, as a result of post-war immigration from Mediterranean countries.
His last piece was on the descendants of the Bounty mutineers living on Norfolk Island, and was published in the National Geographic magazine of October 1960.
[51] As well as his paid employment, Roughley would have had a significant separate source of income, from the publishers of his popular books, with which to support his family and other interests.
However, one biographer concluded that it was impossible to make a complete catalogue of his written works, because these also included articles for ephemeral and obscure journals, such as those associated with angling clubs and the marketing of seafood.
He had also made himself available consistently throughout his career, as a source of expert knowledge and opinion, and as a guest speaker—presenting on radio as early as 1924[77] and as late as 1952[9]—and he was quoted in many press articles and interviews.
An engaging speaker, well published, well known, and with a polished and accessible writing style, he had shared his enthusiasm for marine zoology with a wide audience in Australia, for nearly fifty years of his life.
Roughley was among the first to properly recognise Lawrence Hargrave's pioneering work in the area of aviation, which, at that time, was largely forgotten in his own country.
Its rare editions have sometimes been destroyed to obtain the 70 beautiful engraved colour plates, which have been sold individually as works of art.
The name of the Sydney Rock Oyster, Saccostrea commercialis, given to it by Roughley and co-author Tom Iredale,[83] is not commonly used.
It was Roughley's work in the 1920s, which resulted in the disease being brought under control, allowing the oyster industry on the Georges River, in particular, to grow and prosper for many years.
[88] An outbreak of QX disease, in 1994, all but totally destroyed the industry on the Georges River, and the development of QX-resistant strains came too late to save most of it.
[20] It remains a highly regarded oyster,[92][101][102][103][104] and its commercially-farmed variants are benefiting from selective breeding to overcome some of its vulnerabilities.
[105][106][89] Over his long career, Theodore Roughley established a huge personal reputation and strong rapport with the fisherman and oyster farmers of New South Wales, and he came to be able to influence both them and government fisheries policy.
His less tangible legacy is the lasting influence that his life's work has had on the commercial fishing industry in Australia, most notably the acceptance of scientific advice when managing fisheries.
