SEASONAL DISTRIBUTION OF THE PLANKTON OF THE 
WOODS HOLE REGION 
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By CHARLES J. FISH, Ph. D., 
General Assistant, U. S. F. S. Albatross 
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Contribution from the U. S. Fisheries Biological Station, Woods Hole, Mass. 
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CONTENTS 
Page Page 
FALrOuuction see eee we Sacre a SS AL 91 | General discussion of plankton—Contd. 
Methodsti) om. atiitanaliaveriata: 9 93 Crustacea—Continued. 
NOG Fit OT eee are Sa et a 96 Copepoda =e 22 tases oe 141 
Salinity and density _-...-__--2--+--_- 98 Cimipedia= 5a eee 147 
Wewiperavuress 6 caer sa cuee Seen 100 EAT bUTOSETS Cae ee 149 
General discussion of plankton_-_--_-_--_- 101 Cumaces's=s2 ier ee aes 152 
Diatoms and other plants________- 104 Schizopoda and Stomatopoda-_ 152 
Proto zOae MUR e el SR Le 121 Macrura ss: Sites pee ewer 155 
Coelenteratasss222+-s22bue 2 ete 123 BrachyUrass eer. pe eee ee 159 
Annulata and Vermes_--_--------- 130 Pyenogonida and Xiphosura___ 161 
INGO EC 2 SS Se Se eee ee aoe 136 Chordatas === Ste sam abe ese ee 162 
Pichinodermataesa= 225 = seen 138 Bis Lak Set cee eee ae meee re 164 
CruStaCede mre ee ree He eet 139) |) General conclusions==== === "=== -- == 172 
iPhyllopoda sl: Sean! Sy. iees 139) PBiblicsraphy=222 saa= ee eee 176 
Ostracod assis 4S: bette 140 
INTRODUCTION 
In the plankton section of the report of the Conseil Permanent International 
pour l’Exploration de la Mer, published in September, 1922, it was pointed out that 
greater attention should be paid to the seasonal variation and range of marine 
plankton. As early as 1880, Prof. S. F. Baird remarked to Commander Z. L. 
Tanner, after the initial cruise of the United States Fish Commission steamer 
Fish Hawk, that ‘the profitable study of useful sea fishes can not be prosecuted 
without a knowledge of their food, the food of their food, their respective friends 
and foes, the habitat of the several species, and their means of passing from one 
region to another in the embryonic as well as in the adult stage. The temperature, 
currents, and specific gravity, also, should be studied in connection with the migra- 
tions and habits of pelagic forms.’’ Since that time only one area of the Atlantic 
coast of the United States has been investigated with the object of completely 
surveying and determining the distribution of the plankton, currents, salinity, 
and temperature. The interesting results of these investigations, which were 
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