INTRODUCTION 



SCOPE (Scripps Cooperative Oceanic Productiv- 

 ity Expedition) was a cooperative biological 

 oceanographic survey of the eastern tropical 

 Pacific conducted during November and December 

 1956. The expedition was designed to examine 

 regional variations in primary production in 

 tropical areas of interest to the American 

 tuna fisheries and to provide a basis for 

 subsequent studies to explain the biological 

 effects of variations in the oceanic circula- 

 tion and the influences thereof on the dis- 

 tribution and behavior of the tunas. Partic- 

 ipating in this endeavor were scientists from 

 the Scripps Institution of Oceanography, the 

 Inter-American Tropical Tuna Commission, and 

 the American Museum of Natural History. This 

 study was made possible by the establishment 

 of a contract (No. 1^-19-008-2^5) between the 

 University of California, Scripps Institution 

 of Oceanography and the Department of Interior, 

 U. S. Fish and Wildlife Service. Personnel 

 and additional financial support were provided 

 by the University of California, Scripps Insti- 

 tution of Oceanography and the Inter-American 

 Tropical Tuna Commission. 



In addition to fulfilling the objectives list- 

 ed above, some effort was devoted to a study 

 of the biological methods employed and to a 

 study of certain fundamental biological problems 

 which have a bearing on the productivity of 

 ocean waters. Thus ; . certain studies on the 

 standing crop and nutritional requirements of 

 bacteria, on the solubility of phytoplankton 

 protoplasm, and on the distribution of organic 

 growth factors were included in the observa- 

 tional program. Studies of this nature will 

 eventually contribute to a better understanding 

 of events at low trophic levels in the food 

 chain and help us understand the interchange 

 and interaction between the chemical environ- 

 ment, the phytoplankton and phytoplankton 

 production. 



The expedition departed from San Diego on the 

 M/V Stranger on November 7th, 1956 and returned 

 to San Diego on December 17th, 1956. The track 

 is illustrated in Figure 1. 



The following is a list of scientific per- 

 sonnel participating in the expedition: 



Robert W. Holmes, expedition leader, 

 Assistant Research Biologist, Scripps Insti- 

 tution of Oceanography, University of Calif- 

 ornia 



Dr. William H. Brandhorst, Scientist, 

 Inter-American Tropical Tuna Commission 



Dr. Francis T. Haxo, Assistant Professor, 

 Scripps Institution of Oceanography, Univer- 

 sity of California * 



Dr. Galen E. Jones, Assistant Research 

 Biologist, Scripps Institution of Oceanog- 

 raphy, University of California 



Robert J. Linn, Senior Marine Technician, 

 Scripps Institution of Oceanography, Univer- 

 sity of California 



Dr. Robert C. Murphy, Lamont Curator 

 Emeritus of Birds, American Museum of Natural 

 History 



Park Richardson, Laboratory Technician, 

 Scripps Institution of Oceanography, Univer- 

 sity of California 



Dr. Milner B. Schaefer, Director, Inter- 

 American Tropical Tuna Commission 



Dr. Bell M. Shimada, Senior Scientist, 

 Inter-American Tropical Tuna Commission 



Dr. William H. Thomas, Assistant Research 

 Biologist, Scripps Institution of Oceanog- 

 raphy, University of California** 



* Panama to San Diego 

 ** San Diego to Panama 



Not all of the data and material collected 

 on the expedition have been analyzed. The 

 phytoplankton standing-crop samples have not 

 been examined nor have many of the possible 

 interrelationships between the biological, 

 chemical and physical observations been studi- 

 ed. This work is presently being carried out 

 by Robert W. Holmes. The information on the 

 distribution of oceanic birds is presently 

 being incorporated into a monograph on trop- 

 ical oceanic birds by Dr. Robert Cushman Murphy. 



Certain of the data obtained on the expedition, 

 and included in this report, have been 

 presented at scientific meetings. Drs. 

 G. Jones and W. Belser presented papers at 



