At the conimen cement of the ooeaiiographic-biological cruises of 

 the California Cooperative Uccanic Fisheries Investigations, an inten- 

 sive dip net program was carried out at night during occupancy of 

 hydrographic stations. Fishes were attracted to a light source, such 

 as the v.orldng lights of a research vessel or to a special light hung 

 over the rail, and dip netted. It was soon noted tliat by far the 

 most common species taken by dip netting was the saury. A range of 

 sizes was obtained from recently hatched to mature adults, indicating 

 that all sizes were positively phototropic. Because the sauries offer 

 a potential fishery resource off our coast, and are already supporting 

 a large fishery off Japan, it seemed desirable to obtain systematic 

 observations of saury abundance at hydrographic stations. Such a pro- 

 gram was initiated in September 1951, under the direction of Oi-ville P. 

 Ball, then a staff member of the South Pacific Fishery Investigations, 

 U. S. Fish and V.'ijdiife Service. 



Observations were made at all night stations, and records kept 

 of saury abundance by size. Three size groups were distinguished: 

 small, sauries under five inches in length; medium, sauries between 

 five and ten inches in length; and large, sauries over ten inches long. 

 Nine categories of abundance were adopted, as follows: 



A. Sauries absent, or not persistent under the lights. 

 U - No sauries present, 



X - Sauries present, but not persistent under the lights. 



B. Sauries persistent under the lights. 

 KK - Betv;een 1 and 5 present. 



R - Between 6 and 10 present. 

 KG - Between 11 and 30 present. 

 C - Between 31 and 100 present. 

 VC - Between 101 and 500 present. 

 A - Between 501 and 1000 present. 

 VA - More than 1000 present. 



VJeighted numerical values have been assigned to the above cate- 

 gories in order to obtain a rough estimate of relative abuadance. 

 Categories that include less than 10 fisli (X, RR, and R) are rated 1, 

 those that include between 10 and 100 fish (RC and C) are raLed 10, 

 while categories having 101 to 1000 or more fish are rated lOn. 



Visual saury observations taken between September 1951 and Decem- 

 ber 1955 are summarized in table 2, The tables list all night stations 

 that were occupied, including stations at which no saury observations 

 were made. The letter "N" is used to designate a night station at wliich 

 saury obsei'vations i.'ore not made. 



Although this method of observation is only quasi-quantitative 

 it does represent a practical approach for determining the distribu- 

 tion and relative abundance of sauries in the area being surveyed on 

 cruises of the CCOFI. 



