244 



Fishery Bulletin 93(2), 1995 



l 'V ,'.^^J 



Mallotus villosus 





'*®p r *K 



Anoplopoma fimbria 



Figure 6 



Distribution maps for total and individual dominant taxa offish larvae in the neuston for all cruises (1981-86). Mean density of 

 a particular taxa is superimposed on each sector in the form of a dot the area of which is proportional to the mean number of 

 larvae/1,000 m 3 . 



gion than northeast of Kodiak Island (Rugen 3 ). The 

 same pattern was apparent from the spring data 

 presented here (Fig. 6E). Larvae were most abun- 

 dant to the north of Kodiak Island and to the south- 

 west beyond the Shumagin Islands, whereas densi- 

 ties were lowest to the northeast and offshore of 

 Kodiak Island. Kendall and Dunn ( 1985) documented 

 widespread distribution around Kodiak Island but 

 mainly at nearshore and midshelf stations early in 

 the spawning season during fall. Advection of larvae 

 in the neuston is probably extensive throughout win- 

 ter and spring months in this region. Patterns in 

 seasonal occurrence and spatial distribution of H. 

 stelleri larvae were similar to those for H. deca- 

 grammus (Fig. 6F), and as found in previous studies 

 (Kendall and Dunn, 1985; Rugen 3 ), densities were 

 much lower than those for H. decagrammus. 



The third dominant hexagrammid species, Pleuro- 

 grammus monopterygius, was also considerably less 



abundant in the neuston than was H. decagrammus. 

 Although the spawning season appears to extend 

 from fall through spring, maximum densities of these 

 larvae have been recorded during late October in the 

 Kodiak Island region (Kendall and Dunn, 1985). The 

 distribution of P. monopterygius larvae during the 

 spring months of the present study extended from 

 the Kodiak Island region southwest to the Shumagin 

 Island area; most records were in the vicinity of the 

 shelf edge from Kodiak Island to the Shumagin Is- 

 lands (Fig. 6G). Kendall and Dunn ( 1985) and Rugen 3 

 also recorded highest densities of these larvae over 

 the outer shelf and slope in the Kodiak Island re- 

 gion. The former authors also documented fingers of 

 occurrence of these larvae extending shoreward as- 

 sociated with the troughs seaward of Kodiak Island. 

 Although the larvae of this species usually display 

 an offshore and oceanic distribution, spawning is 

 known to take place in shallow water where currents 



