Table 3. — Summary of oceanic observations of fish schools 

 and birds. The sightings are summarized by rec- 

 tangles bounded by 10° of latitude and 10° of 

 longitude and Identified by coordinates of the 

 southeast corner 



As in the semioceanic areas, the dominant fish species in the oceanic area is 

 the skipjack. This lends further weight to the conclusion that surface schools of 

 small yellowfin are principally associated with land in the central Pacific, al- 

 though they have been observed far from land. 



There is some indication of seasonality in the frequency of sightings of 

 oceanic fish schools and birds. As shown in figure 5, there were more schools 

 sighted from June to November than during the rest of the year. This seasonal pat- 

 tern is similar to that of the Line and Phoenix Islands (fig. 5), but is divergent 

 from the Hawaiian Islands (the Island group for which we have the most sightings), 

 as shown in figure 6. 



The differences between the Hawaiian and oceanic sightings may be the result 

 of the nesting cycles of the birds. The peak in Hawaiian sightings (March-August) 

 occurs during what Is presumably the peak in the nesting cycles of the birds 

 (Richardson and Fisher 1950) , when their dally flying range tends to be restricted 

 to the vicinity of the nesting sites. On the other hand, the peak in the oceanic 

 cycle appears to occur at the season when nesting is reduced (September-November) 

 and the birds are free to fly greater distances from land. 



