The Distribution of Eggs and Larvae of the Anchovy^ Stolephorus 
purpureus Fowler^ in Kaneohe Bay, Oahu, with a Consideration of the 
Sampling Problem^ 
Albert L. Tester^ 
INTRODUCTION 
A SMALL SPECIES OF ANCHOVY, Stokphorus pUf- 
pureus Fowler/ known locally as the ”nehu,” 
is used extensively as livebait in the skipjack 
{Katsuwonus pelamis) fishery of Hawaii. Al- 
though the nehu is caught in several different 
baiting areas throughout the Territory, it is 
fished most heavily and is taken in largest 
quantity in Kaneohe Bay, on the east shore 
of Oahu. In the daytime the fish are caught 
by surround nets in shallow, turbid water 
alongshore, often close to the mouths of 
streams. After dark they are caught by night 
lighting in deeper and less turbid water far- 
ther out in the bay. 
Without doubt, the availability of nehu is 
one of the main factors governing the size of 
the skipjack catch. In recent years, coincident 
with an increased fishing effort, there has been 
an alleged decrease in the availability of nehu 
in the most important baiting area — Kaneohe 
Bay. The question has been raised as to 
whether or not this decrease indicates over- 
fishing of the nehu population. 
In 1948, an intensive study of the nehu of 
Kaneohe Bay was initiated to determine es- 
sential biological information which might 
lead eventually to knowledge of the level of 
fishing intensity for maximum sustained 
yield. The present report deals with one phase 
of this study, namely, the distribution of 
1 Contribution No. 12 , Hawaii Marine Laboratory. 
Submitted for publication April 2, 1951. 
2 Department of Zoology and Entomology, Uni- 
versity of Hawaii. 
® The status of the generic name has been discussed 
by Gosline (1951). 
nehu eggs and larvae throughout the waters 
of the bay. The investigation must be re- 
garded as preliminary in nature. It was under- 
taken partly to determine an efficient sampling 
procedure for future work, and partly to ob- 
tain general information on the early life 
history of the nehu and the distribution of 
eggs and larvae. 
Acknowledgments: The chief responsibility 
for the field work devolved upon Mr. Lester 
Zukeran, skipper of the University of Ha- 
waii’s research vessel Salpa, who located the 
stations, navigated the ship over the courses, 
and assisted in the hauling and washing-down 
of the nets with unending patience and skill. 
Two large plankton nets were loaned to us 
through the courtesy of Mr. Vernon E. 
Brock, Director of the Division of Fish and 
Game, Territorial Board of Agriculture and 
Forestry. 
Several graduate students of the University 
of Hawaii assisted in various phases of the 
work. Mr. Kenji Ego assisted in Surveys 1 
and 2, Mr. Daniel Yamashita in Surveys la, 
lb, 2, 3, and 4, and Mrs. Bertha Cutress in 
Surveys 3 and 4. The monotonous and diffi- 
cult job of microscopic examination of the 
plankton samples, including the identifica- 
tion and segregation of the eggs and larvae 
and the measurement of the larvae, was under- 
taken with dispatch and efficiency by Mrs. 
Cutress, assisted on occasion by Mr. Yama- 
shita. Chlorinity and oxygen determinations 
were made in part by Miss Winnifred Tseu 
and in part by Mr. Yamashita. 
I wish to express my sincere thanks to those 
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