The assistance of Dr. Fenner A. Chace, Jr., 

 curator of the Division of Marine Invertebrates 

 of the U. S. National Museum; Dr. L. B. 

 Holthuis, Rijksmuseum van Natuurlijke His- 

 torie, Leiden, Netherlands; and Drs. Dora P. 

 Henry and Paul L. Illg, University of Wash- 

 ington, were particularly helpful in this study. 

 Numerous systematists contributed consider- 

 ably to the identification of specimens, in 

 particular Dr. Dora P. Henry; Dr. L. B. 

 Holthuis; Dr. Myra Keen, Stanford University; 

 Mrs. Nettie MacGinitie, at that time director 

 of the Kerckhoff Marine Laboratory; and 

 Dr. Donald P. Abbott, Hopkins Marine Station, 

 Stanford University. 



PHYSICAL FEATURES OF AREA 



The area of the eastern Bering Sea covered 

 by the surveys (fig. 1) is characterized by a 

 relatively flat sea bottom ranging in depth 

 from 10 to 75 fathoms (fig. 2). Hebard (1959) 

 describes a counterclockwise water circula- 

 tion in the region, with a decrease in average 

 current velocity with an increase in depth. 

 Bottonn sediments have been found to vary 

 fronn fine mud in the western part to dark 

 and coarse sand inshore (fig. 3). Temperature 

 fluctuations during the sampling periods were 

 considerable. Figures 4, 5, and 6 show the 

 range of bottom temperatures observed during 

 these surveys. 



METHODS 



The invertebrate fauna was collected by 

 otter trawls towed on a straight-line course 

 at approximately 3 miles per hour for 1-hour 

 periods at stations spaced at 20-mile intervals 

 throughout the area, as indicated in figure 1, 

 The trawl used was a standard "400 mesh 

 eastern" type, as described by Greenwood 

 (1958), with a 94-foot-long foot rope. To 

 assure the retention of smaller organisnns, 

 the trawl was modified by inserting a l|^-inch 

 mesh lining to the cod end. Additional sampling 

 was done at some stations with a box-type 

 dredge (fig. 7). The galvanized screening of 

 the dredge had four openings to the inch; in 

 addition, it was lined with l/S-inch mesh 

 netting. 



In 1958 the station pattern was covered first 

 in April and May and again in June and July.' 

 The catch at each station was examined, and 

 the groups represented were recorded. A 

 random sample of each catch was preserved 

 immediately by freezing and subsequently 

 transferred to 10-percent buffered formalin 

 solution upon the vessel's return to port. 



'Stations C-4, 5, D-4, 6, and K-12 were omitted during the early 

 cruise, and stations A-4, E-4. F-5, 14, G-6, 15, H-7, 15, 1-8. 14, 

 and K-11 were omitted during the later cruise due to inclement 

 weather. 



•58° 



■56° 



"-^ ,/^- ' ALASKA 1 



i CANADA 



BERING 

 I 

 SEA ^^^ 



PACIFIC OCEAN 



170° 160" 150° 140° '30° 



Figure l.--Area of the eastern Bering Sea covered by the sampling program, showing the approximate locations of the 



stations. Dots indicate station locations. 



