dredge, a beam trawl, and baited lobster traps, A few 

 animals were snagged on hydrographic lines. The quanti- 

 tative samples differed in volume from a fraction to 

 five cubic feet, or lo67 cubic meters. These variations 

 were mainly because of differences in depths and kinds 

 of sediments, with the greatest variations being from 

 shallow hard-packed bottoms. 



The concentration of samples from shallow areas in 

 the vicinity of the Hyperion outfall, and along the shelf 

 bordering the upper end of Santa Monica Canyon, was to 

 more intensively study patchiness and present conditions 

 along paths that a series of new outfall lines may occupy. 



Description of the Area 



The benthos of Santa Monica Bay is a northward 

 continuation of the San Pedro area and shares many of 

 its biological characteristics. Both embayments have 

 a similar shallower (to 300 feet) and deeper (to 1500 feet) 

 shelf, a slope (to 2250 feet or more ), and a deep or 

 subsill basin (to 2940 feet). The faunal groups consist 

 of similar categories, and differ mainly in the numbers 

 of their occurrence because of physical differences. 

 The San Pedro area is traversed by a channel through 

 which a strong current flows and its bottoms, therefore, 

 support some associations which are sparse or not rep- 

 resented in Santa Monica Bay. The presence of submerged 

 mountains (the Lasuen Seamount and Six-Mile Bank at either 



