Meet the scientist who helped kick-start U.S. fish and fisheries research

May 27, 2025

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George Brown Goode was an eminent ichthyologist who worked for the U.S. Commission of Fish and Fisheries, the first predecessor organization of NOAA Fisheries, from 1872 until 1888, and served as the U.S. Fish Commissioner from 1887 until 1888.

Black and white portrait of George Brown Goode, American ichthyologist and second United States Commissioner of Fisheries. — George Brown Goode, American ichthyologist and second United States Commissioner of Fisheries. (Image credit: Public Domain)

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Goode set the methods and standards still used in fishery research today. His time with the U.S. Commission of Fish and Fisheries and the Smithsonian Institution was one of the most productive periods in ichthyology (the scientific study of fish) and taxonomy (the classification of living organisms).

While working for the Fish Commission and the Smithsonian Institution, Goode discovered and systematically cataloged significant collections of unknown species of fish and other marine life, dividing specimens between the two museums. He also authored more than 100 scientific notes and contributions in the reports of both organizations, as well as compiling catalogs and guides to exhibits.

In his work as an ichthyologist, Goode was the first to catalog and name several species, including the Gulf Blanquillo or Grey Tilefish (Caulolatilus microps), the Gulf Scup or Goat's Head Porgy (Stenotomus caprinus), the Spotted Moray (Gymnothorax moringa), and Baird's Alepocephalus (Alepocephalus Bairdii), which he named after the first U.S. Fish Commissioner, Spencer Fullerton Baird. Sketches of these species and many others were included in Goode’s eight-volume collection, The Fisheries and Fishery Industries of the United States in 1884.

Excerpted plates of species discovered by George Brown Goode, from his eighth-volume collection, The Fisheries and Fishery Industries of the United States, published in 1884. (Image credit: NOAA)
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Over the years, NOAA Fisheries scientists have discovered dozens of species.

Want to see more recently discovered species?

Check out this story from NOAA Fisheries!

Photo o a Type D killer whale, a recently discovered species. — A Type D killer whale, a recently discovered species. (Image credit: Paul Tixier)
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Goode first worked for the Fish Commission as a volunteer researcher in Maine. There he met Spencer Fullerton Baird, then Fish Commissioner and Assistant Secretary of the Smithsonian and quickly became Baird’s assistant and chief of the Division of Fisheries at the Smithsonian Institution.

Goode divided his time between the Fish Commission, Wesleyan University, and the Smithsonian. The Fish Commission and the Smithsonian Institution were so closely intertwined that Goode effectively ran the fish research program of both organizations from 1873 to 1887. During this time, he organized and administered the development of biological and fishery research at the Fish Commission. He also developed the taxonomy and ichthyology work of both the Fish Commission and the Smithsonian Institution.

Black and white photo of Spencer Fullerton Baird and George Brown Goode on a collecting trip on Little Harbor in Woods Hole, Massachusetts. Baird (left) leaning over the stern, G.B. Goode (right) rowing. — Spencer Fullerton Baird and George Brown Goode on a collecting trip on Little Harbor in Woods Hole, Massachusetts. Baird (left) leaning over the stern, G.B. Goode (right) rowing. (Image credit: Norman T. Allen)
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Black and white photo of Spencer Fullerton Baird and George Brown Goode seining (a fishing method that uses a weighted net) in Little Harbor in Woods Hole, Massachusetts. Baird with net at stern, G.B. Goode standing in the boat. — Spencer Fullerton Baird and George Brown Goode seining (a fishing method that uses a weighted net) in Little Harbor in Woods Hole, Massachusetts. Baird with net at stern, G.B. Goode standing in the boat. (Image credit: Norman T. Allen)
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In 1887, Goode succeeded Baird as U.S. Fish Commissioner, but he relinquished this position when the Fish Commission became an autonomous agency in 1888. However, Goode retained his position of assistant secretary at the Smithsonian Institution and continued his connections with fisheries and fishery research.

Goode was a member of the National Academy of Sciences, the American Academy of Arts and Sciences, and the American Philosophical Society, and he served as president of the Philosophical Society of Washington in 1893. He received awards including the decoration of Commander in the Order of Isabella the Catholic from the Queen Regent in Spain, a Ph.D. from Indiana University, and a Doctor of Laws degree from Wesleyan University.

Looking for a deeper dive?

Learn more about George Brown Goode!

Black and white photo of George Brown Goode, second United States Commissioner of Fish and Fisheries from 1887-1888. — George Brown Goode, second United States Commissioner of Fish and Fisheries from 1887-1888. (Image credit: Public Domain)
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