Marquesan Sardine— -HlDA and MORRIS 
Nakamura and Wilson (ms) have reported 
that in the Marquesas 8.4 cm, plus or minus 
1.7 cm, is the mean length of females at sexual 
maturity. They considered that year-round oc- 
currence of ovarian eggs of 0.6 mm or larger 
diameter indicated that sardines spawn through- 
out the year in Marquesan waters. Although our 
Hawaiian samples were inadequate for deter- 
mination of the spawning season of the intro- 
duced fish, the occurrence of ova 0.43 to 0.74 
mm in diameter in sardines taken in May, June, 
July, September, and October and the appear- 
ance of small sardines from May through De- 
cember lead us to believe that the species also 
has a prolonged spawning period in Hawaii. 
SUMMARY 
Eight releases of the Marquesan sardine, Har- 
engula vittata, have been made around the island 
of Oahu in the hope that it would become estab- 
lished and sufficiently abundant to increase the 
tuna bait fish supply. An estimated 144,000 
individuals were released from 1955 through 
1959. Recoveries by skipjack fishermen have 
been made from all of the major islands except 
two. The habitat occupied by the sardine seems 
to coincide with that of the most important 
native bait fish, the nehu ( Stolephorus pur - 
437 
pureus ) . The occurrence of young sardines since 
1958 indicates that they have spawned success- 
fully, but the species is not yet making any 
significant contribution as a bait fish. The sar- 
dines feed primarily on copepods, and also eat 
gastropod larvae, larval and adult shrimps, crab 
larvae, fish larvae, amphipods, and polychaetes. 
This diet is similar to that of the nehu. 
REFERENCES 
Brock, Vernon E. I960. The introduction of 
aquatic animals into Hawaiian waters. Int. 
Rev. Hydrobiol. 45(4) : 463-480. 
Hiatt, Robert W. 1951. Food and feeding 
habits of the nehu, Stolephorus purpureus 
Fowler. Pacif. Sci. 5(4) .347-358. 
Murphy, Garth I. I960. Introduction of the 
Marquesan sardine, Harengula vittata (Cuvier 
and Valenciennes) , to Hawaiian waters. Pacif. 
Sci. 14(2): 185-187. 
Nakamura, Eugene L., and Robert C. Wil- 
son. ms. The distribution and biology of the 
Marquesan sardine. Bu. of Comm. Fish. Bio. 
Lab., Honolulu. 
