Preliminary Report 
Northern wrid Survey No, 3^' 
January 9-15, 196? 
This report summarizes the results of a pelagic survey of 
Smithsonian Grid I. from 0^00 hours January 9 to 2200 hours January 
Smithsonian personnel included Walter BuLnaer (Biologist-in-charge), 
John Fitch, and T. James Lewis. Excellent cooperation was receive . ’r(>m 
Captain Church, the officers and crew of U.S.S. Gi50RGE EASTMAN (Yag J9) 
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throughout the trip. 
Observability was good when traveling S.W. but only fair when t-raveling 
N.S. due to an average 25 knot wind. Heavy seas with swells of 12 feet caused 
some damage to personal property on our first N.W. leg and permission v.'as 
granted for Yag 39 to "cut comers" on the 2nd and Uth N.W. legs when 
similar conditions arose. 
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This survey covers 79.3 hours of diurnal observations of 6C7 miles. 
An additional 65 hours of nocturnal watches were conducted with 1.3 ic irs 
on the 13-lii of January spent drifting. Nocturnal collecting proved fruitless 
due to high winds and seas making drifting hazardous. Diurnal collecting 
and retrieving was excellent outside of the grid, but a lack of birds inside 
the grid is our only explanation for our virtually negative result'. 
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Bird populations were down 3h% from December but up 171^ over . uary 1965. 
The expected decline of Shearwater/Petrels, and the lack of Terns iu .esponsioie 
for the decline from December. Species groups of January 1965 ana t; is 
January remained about the same percentage. The low in January lS-‘~ crobably 
coincides with the calm weather at that time. ' 
One interesting phenomenon is that only 15 birds (6 Frigates, 5 iei-footed 
Boobies, 1 Blue-faced Booby, and 3 Black-footed Albatross) were de'’’: itely 
