Preliminary Report - Miscellaneous Cruise Wo. 9 - 9-23 February 1968 
rinerary: 
09 February 1968 
12 February 
Ik February 
23 February 
depart Oahu 
arrive Johnston Atoll area 
depart Johnston Atoll area 
arrive Oahu 
1100 
1405 
1225 
v> ! 
O 
The following report is a surunary of bird, and mammal observations 
made by FOBS? personnel Brian Harrington and Vernon Kleen aboard the 
USFWS TOWHSEFDD CROMWELL. The primary objectives of the cruise were to 
collect oceanographic data for the Bureau of Commercial Fisheries in the 
central Pacific between Johnston Atoll and the Hawaiian Islands. (See 
cruise track map.) The POBSP personnel were present on a not-to-interfere 
basis excepting a stop at either Necker or Nihoa Island. Unfortunately, 
sea conditions made it impossible to land on either of these islands, 
dni^e on ooard the CROMWELL excellent cooperation was received from 
Captain Miller and also from Bernard Ito, the cruise scientific leader. 
Mac or activities of the Bureau of Commercial Fisheries w _ ere to take STD 
(Salinity, Temperature and Depth) casts to 1,000 meters every six hours 
ana BT’s every three hours. Surface salinity and surface temperature 
was also recorded continuously throughout the cruise. Routine weather 
information was collected at every STD and BT station. While in the 
area of Johnston Atoll the stations were increased- to every 20 miles 
rather than every six hours. 
The activities of the visiting POBSP personnel were to maintain 
diurnal bird observation, and, where it was felt necessary, nocturnal 
observations. Watch periods were maintained from sunrise to sunset ex¬ 
cept whii_e Lhe ship was on STD stations. One of the objectives o 
the 
shipboard observations was to try and coordinate observations or at-sea 
bird movements in the vicinity of Johnston Atoll with observations made 
iron the island by POBSP personnel there. The results of these observa¬ 
tions are given in the species accounts of the Red-footed Booby and Sooty 
ns. Additional objectives were to try and identify any movement of 
ns between Johnston Atoll and the Hawaiian Islands, The latter phase 
ot considered to have been successful because either no such move- 
m.~ 
t. -n 
U 
ment was occurring or it was on such a small or slow scale that it 
not observable. 
was 
i V* ' 
Collecting of seabirds was limited to periods w 7 hen it would not 
interfere with the cruise objectives of the Bureau of Commercial Fishe 
,1 few flocks were chased, but in every case the birds were too !r spooky" 
to allow the ship to approach within shooting range. Whether this was 
a function of the birds r behavior at this season or whether it was due 
to the behavior of the fish below is not known. According to the^captain 
of the CROMWELL, most of the flocks which were sighted were probably 
feeding over a small number of fish, most likely Skipjack. In no In¬ 
stance were birds seen feeding Tf fervently tr as the writer has seen at 
some times of the year in the central Pacific. Virtually all of the 
flocks of over 25 birds were composed primarily of Sooty Terns, w 
Red-footed Boobies being the next most common. 
T * T ^ tn 
