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. 



Hydrographic data resulting from CalCOFI surveys in 1981 

 have been published in standard formats (Univ. of Calif., SIO, 

 1985a, b). 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 1981 were subjected to an extensive 

 verification and editing process to produce this report. This 

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

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

 Sumida et al . , 1987a, b; 1988a, b,c) 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 1981, the six CalCOFI cruises occupied stations during 

 portions of all months from January to August. A seventh cruise 



(8012) , conducted in November and December of 1980, was included 

 in the 1981 data base. A total of 978 stations included in this 

 data base was occupied on seven cruises, with an average of 140 

 stations per cruise (range 81-206) . Coverage of the survey 

 station pattern varied among cruises and the entire survey area 

 was not covered on any single cruise (Figures 1-7, Table 1). The 

 area off northern California (lines 40-57) was not covered. All 

 major lines were occupied off central California (lines 60-76.7) 

 on Cruises 8101 through 8107 and only line 60 was excluded from 

 the coverage on Cruise 8012. All major lines between Pt. 

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



(lines 80-137) were occupied on Cruise 8012; southerly coverage 

 of this region stopped at Pt. Pequena (line 13 3.3) on Cruise 



8104, at Pt. Abreojos (line 130) on 8102, at San Cristobal Bay 

 (line 123.3) on 8108, and at Rosario Bay (line 110) on 8101 and 



8105. The area off southern Baja Califoria (lines 140-157) was 

 not surveyed in 1981. Typically, coverage did not extend beyond 

 station 90 (approximately 160-260 miles offshore) . Ordinal 

 stations ending in a decimal were rounded off in the station 



