encompassed the vertical distribution of sardine eggs and larvae. 

 Wide-ranging joint biological and oceanographic survey cruises 

 were resumed in 1949 with sardine as the focus; however, an 

 increasing interest in other biological components resulted in 

 the deepening of standard tows to 140 m in 1951. This marked the 

 beginning of truly quantitative ichthyoplankton sampling on 

 CalCOFI surveys. 



Data resulting from CalCOFI surveys in 1966 have been 

 published in a number of forms. Hydrographic data (Univ. of 

 Calif., SIO, 1968, 1969) and zooplankton volumes (Smith, 1971) 

 were presented in standard formats. Distributional maps of 

 larvae of 5 taxa taken on CalCOFI surveys during 1966 are 

 presented in the CalCOFI Atlas series: jack mackerel (Trachurus 

 symmetricus) and Pacific hake (Merluccius productus) , Ahlstrom, 

 1969; Pacific sardine {Sardinops sagax) , Kramer, 1970; rockfish 

 (Sebastes spp.), Ahlstrom et al., 1978; northern anchovy 

 (Engraulis mordax) , Hewitt, 198 0. 



A computer data base for eggs and larvae of sardine and 

 anchovy, for larvae of hake, jack mackerel and Pacific mackerel 

 {Scomber japonicus) , and for eggs of Pacific saury (Cololabis 

 saira) was established in 1969. The development of a data base 

 for other fish larvae is a complex undertaking because competency 

 of identification has evolved steadily over the past 38 years. 

 We began the task of producing a CalCOFI ichthyoplankton data 

 base and associated data report series in 1983. All available 

 original records for 1966 were subjected to an extensive 

 verification and editing process to produce this report. This 

 and previous (Ambrose et al., 1987a, b,c; 1988; Sandknop et al., 

 1987a, b; 1988a, b; Stevens et al . , 1987a, b,c; 1988; Sumida et al . , 

 1987a, b; 1988) and subsequent reports make the CalCOFI 

 ichthyoplankton and station data available to all investigators 

 and serve as guides to the computer data base. The data base 

 will be modified when additional errors are discovered and when 

 composite taxa from the earlier years are reidentif ied. These 

 reports are the fundamental reference documents against which 

 subsequent changes in the data base can be compared. 



SAMPLING AREA AND PATTERN 



In 1966, CalCOFI survey cruises were conducted at monthly 

 intervals, except for part of March. A total of 1977 stations 

 included in this data base was occupied on 11 cruises, with an 

 average of 180 stations per cruise (range 80-236). Coverage of 

 the survey station pattern varied among cruises and the entire 

 survey area was not covered on any single cruise (Figures 1-12, 

 Table 1) . Waters off northern California (lines 40-57) were not 

 occupied in 1966. Sampling off central California (lines 60-77) 

 was conducted on six of the eleven cruises: in January, late 

 March-April, June, July, October and December. The area between 

 Pt. Conception, California and Pt. San Juanico, Baja California 

 (lines 80-137) was surveyed on seven cruises. Line 120 off Punta 

 Eugenia, Baja California, was the southernmost line surveyed in 



