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 1959 have been 

 published in a number of forms. Hydrographic data (Reid et al., 

 1965), zooplankton volumes (Thrailkill, 1963; Smith, 1971), and 

 ichthyoplankton data for selected species (Kramer, 1971) were 

 presented in standard formats. The latter lists counts for eggs 

 and larvae of sardine and for larvae of northern anchovy 

 (Engraulis mordax) , jack mackerel (Trachurus symmetricus) , 

 Pacific mackerel {Scomber japonicus) , Pacific hake (Merluccius 

 productus) , and rockfishes (Sebastes spp.). Also, length 

 frequencies are listed for sardine, anchovy, jack mackerel, and 

 Pacific mackerel larvae. Distribution maps of eggs and larvae of 

 5 of these taxa taken on CalCOFI surveys during 1959 are 

 presented in the CalCOFI Atlas series (Kramer and Ahlstrom, 1968; 

 Ahlstrom, 1969; Kramer, 1970; Ahlstrom et al . , 1978). Other 

 atlases provided distribution maps of 6 mesopelagic fish larvae 

 (Ahlstrom, 1972) and 8 flatfish taxa (Ahlstrom and Moser, 1975) 

 taken during 1959. 



A computer data base for eggs and larvae of sardine and 

 anchovy and for larvae of hake, and the two mackerels 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 1959 were subjected to an extensive 

 verification and editing process to produce this report. This 

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

 b, ; Stevens et al., 1987a, b; Sumida et al . , 1987a, 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 1959, CalCOFI survey cruises were conducted at monthly 

 intervals. A total of 2182 stations included in this data base 

 was occupied on 12 cruises, with an average of 182 stations per 

 cruise (range of 39-270) . This was the largest number of 

 stations occupied on any annual CalCOFI plankton survey during 

 the period 1951-1960. Coverage of the survey station 

 pattern varied among cruises and the entire quarter-million 



