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 guantitative ichthyoplankton sampling on 

 CalCOFI surveys. 



Some data resulting from CalCOFI surveys in 1972 have been 

 published. Hydrographic data (Univ. of Calif., SIO, 1980, 1982, 

 1985) were presented in standard formats. Distributional maps of 

 larvae of 2 taxa taken on CalCOFI surveys during 1972 are 

 presented in the CalCOFI atlas series: rockfish (Sebastes spp.), 

 Ahlstrom et al., 1978; and northern anchovy (Engraulis mordax) , 

 Hewitt, 1980. 



A computer data base for eggs and larvae of sardine and 

 anchovy, for larvae of Pacific hake (Merluccius productus) , jack 

 mackerel (Trachurus symmetricus) 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 1972 were subjected to an extensive 

 verification and editing process to produce this report. This 

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

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

 Sumida et al., 1987a, b; 1988a, b) 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 1972, six CalCOFI survey cruises were conducted from 

 January through November. Cruise 7202 in February was a joint 

 U.S. -U.S.S.R. cooperative cruise with the Soviet vessel Alba 

 sampling lines 40-77 (Figure 4) . Two cruises in late spring and 

 early fall (Cruises 7205 and 7210) covered an extended pattern 

 designed to collect data across the California Current from 45°N 

 to 20°N. However, data from stations north of line 40 and 

 extended offshore lines are not included in this report. They 

 will be incorported into the data base at a later time and 

 published as a separate data report. A total of 1205 stations 

 included in this data base was occupied with an average of 201 

 stations per cruise (range 133-336) . Coverage of the survey 

 station pattern varied among cruises with the most extensive 

 occurring in February, April-early June, and September-November 

 (Figures 1-8, Table 1). The area off northern California (lines 



