TABLE 1. — Cruises of the Theodore N . Gill, with unoccupied stations 

 listed by number, South Atlantic coast of the United States 



1953-54 



"'" Terminated off Daytona Beach, Fla., due to engine failure. 



1958a, 1958b. 1959a, 1959b, and 1959c). 

 Biological methods and procedures, 

 narrative accounts of the cruises, track 

 charts, and other pertinent information 

 were given in those reports. 



Identification of specimens oc- 

 curring in the Gill plankton collections 

 was based upon niorphological simi- 

 larity to eggs and larvae of known 

 identity obtained by manually mixing 

 ova and sperm of yellowfin menhaden. 

 Samples of the developing eggs and 

 yolk-sac larvae were preserved at 

 intervals during incubation and early 

 development until absorption of the 

 yolk sac Avhen all survivors died, 

 apparently from lack of food (Reintjes, 

 unpubl. MS.' ). Older larvae of Atlantic 

 nnenhaden were collected during their 

 migration into the estuary at Beaufort, 

 N. C, confined in mesh compartments 

 until metamorphosis occurred auid 

 positive identification could be made. 

 From these known points of departure, 

 a complete series of menhaden eggs and 

 larvae was assembled. These were used 



1 Development of eggs and yolk-sac larvae of yellowfin 

 menhaden. Bureau of Commercial Fisheries Biological 

 Laboratory, Beaufort, N. C. 



as reference material for the compara- 

 tive identification of the Gill plankton 

 material. No identification to species 

 was nnade because of the apparent 

 similarity in size amd structure of eggs 

 and larvae. Most morphological char- 

 acteristics overlapped between the 

 species, or at certain stages of develop- 

 ment appeared to be identical. 



OCCURRENCE OF EGGS 



Menhaden eggs occurred in four 

 localities (see table 2): About 25 miles 

 south of Cape Lookout, N. C; about 

 40 miles south of Cape Fear, N. C; in 

 the vicinity of Cape Csmaveral, Fla.; 

 and in the vicinity of Jupiter Inlet, Fla. 



OCCURRENCE OF LARVAE 



Menhaden larvae were collected 

 during the three ■winter cruises, and 

 the findings are presented in table 3. 

 Small newly hatched larvae (4-9 mm.) 

 occurred in the vicinity of Cape Look- 

 out, N. C, Charleston, S. C, Cape 

 Canaveral, Fla., and the offing of 



