MARQUESAS AREA FISHERY AND ENVIRONMENTAL DATA 

 JANUARY - MARCH 1959 



By 



Howard O. Yoshida 

 Fishery Research Biologist 

 Honolulu Biological Laboratory 

 U. S. Bureau of Commercial Fisheries 

 Honolulu, Hawaii 



This is the fourth report in a Series 

 presenting data obtained on cruises to the por- 

 tion of the southeastern Pacific Ocean that is 

 centered in the Marquesas Islands. The first 

 report (Austin 1957) includes results of cruises 

 made in August and Septennber 1956. The sec- 

 ond (Wilson and Rinkel 1957) includes data 

 obtained from cruises made during January - 

 March 1957, and the third (Wilson, et al. 1958) 

 contains results from cruises made during 

 October 1957 - June 1958. 



The two expeditions made during Jan- 

 uary - March 1959 were the final in a program 

 undertaken by the Honolulu Biological Labora- 

 tory (HBL), Bureau of Commercial Fisheries , 

 to study the tuna resources of the southeastern 

 Pacific Ocean. One of the expeditions was made 

 on a chartered West Coast tuna clipper, the 

 Cape Falcon, out of San Diego, to test the fea- 

 sibility of fishing commercially for surface 

 tuna schools in the Marquesas area. The other 

 expedition was made on the Bureau's research 

 vessel Charles H. Gilbert to continue the in- 



vestigation of surface tuna schools. As in the 

 earlier reports, the data are presented without 

 analysis so that they may be made available to 

 other agencies studying the Pacific. Descrip- 

 tive and analytical reports will follow. 



The Cape Falcon departed San Diego 

 January 26, 1959, for Almejas Bay, Baja Cali- 

 fornia, where baiting operations were conducted 

 from January 30 to February 5. Actual scout- 

 ing and fishing for surface tuna schools in the 

 Marquesas area (5°-20° S. , 130°-150=' W.) oc- 

 cupied the period from February 15 to March 

 15. The track of the Cape Falcon is shown in 

 figures 1 and la. 



The Gilbert departed Honolulu January 

 7, 1959 and returned on March 26, 1959. Dur- 

 ing the course of the cruise the following were 

 accomplished: bait surveys in the Marquesas 

 and Society Islands, a surface tuna school sur- 

 vey in the Tuamotu Archipelago, a standard in- 

 shore surface tuna school survey, and the north 

 and south legs of a standard offshore surface 

 tuna school survey in the Mar- 

 quesas (fig. 2). The track of the 

 Gilbert is shown in figure 3. 



FIELD PROCEDURES 



Bathythermograph andmeteoro- 

 logical observations. 



Figure 1. --Track of the Cape Falcon. 



Bathythermograph (BT) 

 lowerings during Charles H. 

 Gilbert cruise 43 were made 

 every 3 hours between Honolulu 

 and 10° N. latitude, every 6 hours 

 between 10° N. and 5° N. lati- 

 tude, every 3 hours between 5° 

 N. latitude and the Marquesas, 

 at local noon daily during the in- 

 shore survey, every 3 hours 

 during the southbound legs of the 

 offshore survey, at each tuna 

 fishing station, and at 0900 and 

 1400 daily between the Marquesas 

 and Tahiti. BT lowerings totaled 

 224 during Gilbert cruise 43. 



