Figure 2.-Continued-D) 13.0 mm SL; E) 16.7 mm SL; F) 22.8 mm SL. 



Occurrence of Hemilepidotus zapus in 

 the Eastern Bering Sea 



During 8 yr of sampling ichthyoplankton at a total 

 of 250 stations in the eastern Bering Sea (in the ap- 

 proximate area between lat. 60 °N and long. 174°W 

 with more intensive sampling between the Pribilof 

 Islands and Unimak Island), only 58 Hemilepidotus 

 zajMS larvae were collected. The number of positive 

 stations is indicated in Figure 4. 



Small H. zapus larvae (6.7-10.1 mm SL) were col- 

 lected during winter in surface water north of the 

 Pribilof Islands (Fig. 4 A). Only a single larva (11.0 

 mm SL) was taken in February 1978 at the surface 

 in about the same area over the slope (Fig. 4A). Our 

 largest collection of larvae (12.2-16.7 mm SL) was 



made in late April and early May (Fig. 4B). Most of 

 the larvae were collected in neuston nets at stations 

 over the slope, but in May a few larvae were taken 

 over the continental shelf. Larvae primarily occurred 

 south of the Pribilof Islands. The largest larvae 

 (18-22 mm SL) were collected during June and July 

 at scattered stations throughout the area including 

 only one northwest of the Pribilof Islands (Fig. 4C). 

 Although data are insufficient to document the 

 exact time and geographical extent of spawning, the 

 presence of small larvae indicates some spawning oc- 

 curs in early winter north of the Pribilof Islands. 

 Peden (1978) indicated that adult and postlarval H. 

 zapus have been collected only along the Aleutian 

 Islands. Further studies are needed to investigate 

 whether larvae and juveniles move south to the Aleu- 



451 



