SPECIAL SCIENTIFIC REPORT-FISHERIES Na 422

422

RECORDS AND OBSERVATIONS FROM PLANKTON GRID STUDIES OFF BAJA CALIFORNIA, APRIL 1952

fvlarine LIBRARYBiological Laboratory

JAN 2 J 1964

WOODS HOLE, MASS.

UNITED STATES DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR, Stewart L. Udall, Secretary

FISH AND WILDLIFE SERVICE, Clarence F. Pautzke, Commissioner

Bureau of Commercial Fisheries, Donald L. McKernan, Director

RECORDS AND OBSERVATIONS FROM PLANKTON GRID STUDIES OFF BAJA CALIFORNIA, APRIL 1952

by David Kramer

United States Fish and Wildlife Service Special Scientific Report- -Fisheries No. 422

Washington, D.C. September 1963

CONTENTS

Page

Introduction 1

Survey design 2

Methods of sampling 2

Sardine eggs 2

Fish larvae 11

Plankton volumes 21

Literature cited 42

RECORDS AND OBSERVATIONS FROM PLANKTON GRID STUDIES OFF BAJA CALIFORNIA, APRIL 1952

David Kramer Fishery Research Biologist Bureau of Commercial Fisheries U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service La JoUa, California ABSTRACT

Data are presented for a grid survey conducted for 5 days in April 1952. The cruise was made by three vessels; one made a daily survey of a square grid of 25 stations spaced 4 miles apart, one maintained an anchor station on this pattern, and one followed a 10-meter drogue drifting through the pattern.

The data deal with the eggs and larvae of the Pacific sardine ^Sarrfiraops caerulea) and the larvae of other commercial species; the northern anchovy (EngrauUs mordax), the jack mackerel ^rrac/iurus symmetric us), the Pacific mackerel (Pneumatophoms diego), the hake (M erluc cius productus), and rockfish (Sebastodes spp.). All the above larvae except those of the hake and rockfish are reported by size. Data are also included for the larvae of a deep-sea smelt Lewoglossus stilbius, and a lanternfish Lampanyctus mexicanus, because of their abundance on this survey. Distribution diagrams show the more abundant fish larvae and plankton volumes on the grids. Plankton volumes are reported and differences in day and night collections are discussed.

Introduction Hopkins Marine Station of Stanford University and the California Academy of Sciences.

This paper reports on the data gathered on The data are presented in figures and a special cruise made in April 1952. The tables in the same manner as the data re- work was designed to investigate some of ported by the Bureau of Commercial Fish- the problems encountered in the sampling eries Biological Laboratory atLa Jo Ila, Calif., techniques of the California Cooperative on the sardine eggs and larvae and other fish Oceanic Fisheries Investigations (CalCOFI) larvae for 1950-57 (Ahlstrom, 1952, 1953, in monthly surveys off the Pacific coast of 1954a, 1958, 1959; Ahlstrom and Kramer, the United States and Baja, California. 1955, 1956, 1957). The fish larvae reported for this cruise include the following com- The CalCOFI are sponsored by the Cali- mercial species: Pacific sardine (Sardinops fornia Marine Research Committee. The co- caerulea), northern anchovy (EngrauUs mordax), operating agencies in these investigations jack mackerel (Trachurus symmetricus). Pacific are the U.S. Bureau of Commercial Fisheries, mackerel Pneumatophorus diego, hake (Merluccius the Scripps Institution of Oceanography, the productus), and rockfish (Sebastodes spp.). Two California Department of Fish and Game, other species are included because of their abundance during this survey: a deep-sea the drogue stations for the full time of the smelt (Leuroglossus stilbius) and a lanternfish investigation. (Larrpanyctus mexicanus). The report also records the plankton volumes at all the stations Hydrographic and biological observations on the survey. Plankton volumes are reported and collections followed the standard proce- annually by this laboratory (Staff, South Pacific dure of the CalCOFI cruises (Ahlstrom, 1952). Fishery Investigations, 1952 through 1956; At grid stations these included one 200-meter Thrailkill, 1957, 1959, 1961); but the plankton net tow for plankton, one 10-meter hydro- data for this special cruise have not been re- graphic cast for temperature and salinity, ported previously. one 900-foot bathythermograph (BT) cast, and observations of meterological data. Drogue SURVEY DESIGN and anchor stations were made every 4 hours. These observations and collections were the The survey was designed with the following same as those of the grid stations, but with objectives: First, to determine short-period standard hydrographic casts to 600 meters. (1-day) time changes in distribution and num- Additional data from the drogue stations in- bers of planktonic organisms, particularly cluded Dacteriological samples collected with sardine eggs and larvae. A close-spaced Johnson-ZoBell (J-Z) bottles on the hydro- grid (gridiron) in a 16-mile square of 25 "grid graphic casts. The drogue ship also conducted stations" (stations 4 miles apart) was estab- current observations (GEK) in the intervals lished south of Punta Eugenia, Baja California between stations. Station data are shown in

(fig, 1).* This square represented a statistical table 1. area of 400 square miles (20 miles to a side), one-fourth of that assigned to a station (stations The 25 stations on the grid covered on the

40 miles apart) on the regular CalCOFI pat- first day will be referred to as Grid I (GI-1 to tern. Second, to observe the hydrographic GI-25), those of the next day. Grid II (GII-1 to and biological changes at a fixed point. An GII-25), etc., for a total of 125 stations during "anchor station" marked by a fixed buoy the 5-day survey. During the same period, 30 was placed at grid-station 3, which is also drogue stations (D-1 to D-30) and 30 anchor the regular CalCOFI station 123.40. Third, to stations (A-1 to A-30) were occupied. observe a single water mass, its movements and its constituents. A "drogue station" was The 10-meter drogue drifted in a southerly established with a 10-meter drogue attached current for about 75 nautical miles from its to a buoy. Its position was determined by northernmost station, D-2 (fig, 1). currents at that level, and observations at times designated for stations were made at The anchor-station buoy broke loose after

the buoy wherever it was found. the first six observations. This station was then maintained by navigation, placing most METHODS OF SAMPLING of the following observations within 2 or 3 miles of the original position. An error in The survey was made April 18-23 by the navigation placed the last six stations about research vessels the Black Douglas of the Bu- 7 miles south of the original position (table 1). reau of Commercial Fisheries and the Crest and Horizon of the Scripps Institution of Ocean- SARDINE EGGS ography. The Black Douglas and the Crest al- ternated on the grid pattern and anchor station, Sardine eggs, listed by age in days (as the former covering the pattern on the first, described by Ahlstrom, 1943), are reported third, and fifth days. The Horizon sampled at as numbers of normal eggs and total number of eggs (table 2). The totals in excess of the iThe grid location was determined by two consecutive numbers of normal eggs include abnormal surveys of the CalCOFI pattern of f central Baja California eggs that had stunted, discolored, and mis- during late March and early April. Final observations on shapen embryos. Unclassified eggs are those the last cruise were taken only 2 days before the survey began. too deteriorated for aging. 1 15°00 II4°30 / NATIVIDAD

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T3 Age categories, A to D, into which sardine concentrations were usually in the eastern eggs are classified, are as follows: (inshore) half of the grid (fig. 2). On the first 3 days of coverage there were no eggs at A- 1 dayold. Eggs spawned within 24 liours of collec- some of the stations. On the fourth and fifth tion. days, eggs were found at all stations. These B- 2 days old. Eggs spawned between 24.1 to 48 hours were primarily 1 -day-old eggs on Grid IV of collection. 1- 2-day-old eggs onGridV (table 2b). C- 3 daysold, Ei;gs spawned between 48.1 to 72 hours and and of collection. D- 4 days old. Eggs spawned between 72.1 to 9b hours The current through the grid, as demon- of ci^Uection. strated by the drogue trajectory, probably Unclassified (unci.). Deteriorated eggs. changed the egg and larval population once each day. Thus, each day's older eggs were A dash (-) in table indicates an age category which could not be present because temperatures were high those spawned in areas north of the grid. enough to have hatched the eggs before they reached that When collections were begun at 0800 hours on age. each day, both 1 -day-old eggs and previously spawned eggs were present in the grid and A zero (0) value indicates tliat although no eggs were north, of it. By the time the ship reached the taken they could havebeenpresent according to tempera- western section of the grid at 2000 hours, ture and time of collection. new spawning had begun. The eggs, which had been Sardine eggs were collected at every drogue to the north at the beginning of the day's station with the greatest numbers per haul sampling run had moved into the grid, were occurring in the grid area (table 2a). New 12+ hours older and had entered their next spawning occurred throughout the range of age category. Because sampling the grid was the drogue trajectory. Ten-meter tempera- an attempt to obtain each day's eggs as a tures ranged from 15.71°to 16.26° C. which single unit, these advanced eggs were listed allowed for a maximum embryonic period of by their spawning day and consequently in the only 3 days, except at station D-28 where same age category as those collected earlier, a few 4-day-old eggs were collected and at as though they had been collected simultane- station D-29, where, although no eggs were ously over the entire grid. Eggs spawned after collected, 4-day-olds could have been present, 2000 hours in each day's grid collections are although temperatures at these stations were listed only under a date of spawning in the 16.23° C. and 16.19° C. respectively. Four- age category columns (table 2b). When col- day-olds at station D-28 were present either lections began again on each following day, because the eldest category was just over 3 those eggs were out of the grid, but the 1 -day- days from spawning (in fact only one-quarter old group from north of the grid was being of an hour over) or they might have been taken sampled in that day's collections and were from colder regions below the 10-meter level thus listed as 1-day eggs. and had a longer period of development. The possibility of 4-day-old eggs at station D-29 FISH LARVAE can be reasoned only on the basis of time of collection. Samples at the anchor station The differences in numbers of the different were collected from water that had been species of larvae in this survey reflect both transported southward to that area. Egg col- differences in the relative numbers of adults lections during the first 3 days showed that in the area and the relation of the time of the very little new spawning was occurring. On survey to the time of peak spawning for each the fourth and fifth days of collection, how- species. Of the larvae, sardines were the ever, new spawning became heavy (table 2a, most abundant, for they represented about 71 stations A-19 and A-29). Temperatures ranged percent of all larvae taken by all ships during from 15.67° to 16.23° C., allowing for only the 5-day survey, 67 percent of all larvae 3 days from spawning to hatching. taken in the five grids, 79 percent of all larvae taken on the anchor stations, and 81 percent Sardine eggs, 1 to 3 days old, were collected of all larvae taken at the drogue stations every day on the grid pattern. The greatest (table 3; fig. 3). The larvae of other commercial

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Figure 2. Sardine eggs: distribution and relative abundance on Grids I - V, April 18-23, 1952. species (anchovy, jack mackerel. Pacific greater in numbers offshore (as the sardine mackerel, hake, and rockfish) were relatively larvae were inshore, fig. 3); or second, that few in numbers (table 3). Tables 4 through 7 these greater offshore numbers were an indi- are records of all hauls containing larvae cation of diurnal migration of the larvae that of sardine, anchovy, jack mackerel, and Pacific made them more available to the net at night, mackerel reported by numbers per size class as in the case of other plankton discussed per station. Tables 8 and 9 are records of all below. The latter seems more probable in hauls containing hake and rockfish larvae re- view of the findings of Ahlstrom (1959) who ported by numbers per station. reported that these two species showed evidence of diurnal migration in replicate (day Noncommercial species of fish larvae (table and night) vertical distribution series. He 3) were best represented by the deep-sea found that 5.0 times as many Leumglossus smelt, Leumglossus stilbius, and the lantern- stilbius larvae and 3.6 times as many fish, Lampanyctus mexicanus, which together ac- Lampanyctus mexicanus larvae were caught by counted for about 80 percent of "other fish night as by day. larvae" collected on the grid, drogue, and anchor stations. These are reported by num- Differences in day and night collections on bers per station in tables 10 and 11. The dis- the grid stations were determined by weighting tribution diagrams for these larvae on the grids the numbers of larvae per haul in the daily (figs. 4 and 5) show that the greater numbers collections and finally by 5-day ratios based were usually located offshore. This may indi- on larvae per haul for all groups of data; five cate one of two types of distribution: First, grids and 5 days each on drogue and anchor that each of these species was normally stations. Each grid was divided into night

19 Table 3. —Fish larvae collected at all grid-survey stations. SARDINE LARVAE

GRIDS I - V

I - 6 7-60

61 - 600

over 600

Figure 3. Sardine larvae: distribution and relative abundance on Grids I - V, April 18-23, 1952. and day stations, omitting the ones occupied procedures for measuring plankton were the at or one-half hour before and after sunset same as those described in the reports on (Ahlstrom, 1954b). Final ratios on the grids the annual collections by this laboratory al- showed that 1.88 times as many Leuroglossus ready referred to above. stilbius larvae and 2.66 times as many Relative concentrations of plankton volumes Lampanyctus mexicanus larvae were collected are depicted for the grids by light and heavy at night than in the day (table 12). Collections shading (fig. 6). The categories of these vol- on drogue and anchor stations were either day umes are: (1) "very light", 33 ml, or less; or night; none were omitted. Five-day ratios of (2) "light", 33-100 ml.; (3) "moderate", 100- Leuroglossus stilbius larvae per haul showed 300 ml,; (4) "heavy", 300-900 ml,; and (5) "very 2.38 and 2.22 times as many collected at heavy", more than 900 ml. Histograms are used night as in the day on the drogue and anchor to show the plankton volumes of successive stations respectively (table 13). The 5-day samples taken at drogue and anchor stations ratios for Lampanyctus mexicanus larvae per (fig. 7). haul on the drogue and anchor stations respectively showed 1.82 and 1.44 times as many Plankton volumes in the grids were generally collected at night as in the day (table 14). in the light category. When very light concentrations occurred they were usually in the PLANKTON VOLUMES eastern half of each day's pattern. Greater concentrations, in moderate to very heavy

The plankton volumes reported in table 1 categories, usually occurred in the western are based on milliters of "wet" plankton per sections. The exception was the fifth day when 1,000 cubic meters of water strained. The only two stations showed moderate plankton

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* •; Jf'- la'^vae grids I - V

I - 6 7-60

^i= 61 - 600

IV V

Figure 4. Leuroglossus stilbius larvae: distribution and relative abundance on Grids I - V, April 18-23, 1952.

LAMPANYCTUS MEXICANUS LARVAE GRIDS l-V

I - 6 7-60

61 - 600

IV V

Figure 5. Lampanyctus mexicanus larvae: distribution and relative abundance on Grids I - V, April 18-23, 1952,

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MILLILITERS OF PLANKTON TABLE 15. --Night (N) and day (D) collections of plankton volumes-'- on Grids I-V.

— ——

LITERATURE CITED AHLSTROM, ELBERT H.. and D. KRAMER.— Cont. AHLSTROM, ELBERT H. Fish and Wildlife Service, Special Scien- 1943. Studies on the Pacific pilchard or sar- tific Report— Fisheries No. 186, 79 p. dine. 4. — Influence of temperature on the rate of development of pilchard eggs in 1957. Sardine eggs and larvae and other nature. U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, fish larvae. Pacific coast, 1955. U.S. Special Scientific Report No, 23, 26 p. Fish and Wildlife Service, Special Scien- tific Report— Fisheries No. 224, 90 p. 1948. A record of the pilchard eggs and larvae collected during surveys made STAFF, SOUTH PACIFIC FISHERY INVES- in 1939 to 1941. U.S. Fish and Wildlife TIGATIONS. Service, Special Scientific Report No. 1952. Zooplankton volumes off the Pacific

54. 76 p. coast, 1951. U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Special Scientific Report 1952. Pilchard eggs and larvae and other Fisheries No. 73, 37 p. fish larvae, Pacific coast, 1950. U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Special Scien- 1953. Zooplankton volumes off the Pacific tific Report— Fisheries No. 80, 58 p. coast, 1952. U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Special Scientific Report 1953. Pilchard eggs and larvae and other Fisheries No. 100, 41 p. fish larvae. Pacific coast, 1951. U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Special Scien- 1954a. Zooplankton volumes off the Pacific tific Report—Fisheries No. 102, 55 p. coast, 1949-50. U.S. Fish and Wildlife 1954a. Pacific sardine (pilchard) eggs and Service, Special Scientific Report larvae and other fish larvae. Pacific Fisheries No. 125, 54 p. coast, 1952. U.S. Fish and Wildlife Serv- 1954b. Zooplankton volumes off the Pacific ice, Special Scientific Report— Fish- coast, 1953. U.S. Fish and Wildlife eries No. 123, 76 p. Service, Special Scientific Report 1954b. Distribution and abundance of egg Fisheries No. 132, 38 p. and larval populations of the Pacific 1955. Zooplankton volumes off the Pacific sardine. U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, coast, 1954, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Fishery Bulletin 93, vol. 56, 83-140. p. Service, Special Scientific Report 1958. Sardine eggs and larvae and other Fisheries No. 161, 35 p. fish larvae. Pacific coast, 1956. U.S. 1956. Zooplankton volumes off the Pacific Fish and Wildlife Service, Special coast, 1955. U.S. Fish and Wildlife Scientific Report Fisheries No. 251, — Service, Special Scientific Report 84 p. Fisheries No. 177, 31 p. 1959. Vertical distribution of pelagic fish THRAILKILL, JAMES R. eggs and larvae off California and Baja 1957. Zooplankton volumes off the Pacific California, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Serv- coast, 1956, U.S, Fish and Wildlife ice, Fishery Bulletin 161, vol. 60, Service, Special Scientific Report p. 107-146. Fisheries No, 232, 50 p. AHLSTROM, ELBERT H., and D. KRAMER. 1959. Zooplankton volumes off the Pacific 1955. Pacific sardine (pilchard) eggs and coast, 1957. U.S. Fish and Wildlife larvae and other fish larvae. Pacific Service, Special Scientific Report coast, 1953. U.S. Fish and Wildlife Fisheries No. 326, 57 p. Service, Special Scientific Report Fisheries No. 155, 74 p. 1961. Zooplankton volumes off the Pacific coast, 1958. U.S. Fish and Wildlife 1956. Sardine eggs and larvae and other Service, Special Scientific Report- fish larvae. Pacific coast, 1954. U.S. Fisheries No, 374, 70 p.

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