Rainbow Runner: A Latent Oceanic Resource?

MITSUO YESAKI

Introduction insignificant , very little is documents not generally available to known about the rainbow runner. the researcher or has been Rainbow runner, Elagatis bipin­ However, there is evidence to suggest obtained through personal nulata (Quoy and Gaimard), is one of that this species may be a latent communications from numerous six species in the family resource of some magnitude. colleagues. This paper summarizes which is circumtropical in distribution Okiyama (1970) speculated from a current information about the rainbow (Briggs, 1960), occurring throughout study of larvae collected by runner, speculates why it is rarely the warm temperate and tropical research vessels enroute to and from, as captured at present, and recommends . It is a with fusiform well as on, fishing grounds that research needed to exploit it. body, small mouth, and deeply forked this fish may be a potential commercial tail (Fig. 1). This species resembles, species. There are numerous Life History very superficially, Salmonidae of north documented and undocumented visual Larval development and early life temperate waters and is referred to as sightings of large schools and high history of the rainbow runner have "" in Jamaica (Kawaguchi, incidental captures of rainbow runner been described by Okiyama (1970) for 1974) and the Philippines (Simpson from various localities around the the Indo-Pacific region and Aprieto and Chikuni, 1976) and "Hawaiian world. This information is published, (1974) for the and salmon" in Hawaii. for the most part, in obscure South Atlantic of the United There are no large-scale fisheries for States. Larvae and/or juveniles were rainbow runner and this fish is captured throughout the year with a generally only captured incidentally by peak in March in the Indo-Pacific artisanal or recreational fishermen biologist Mitsuo Yesaki is with the region, and in every month except May FAO Pole and Line Tuna Fishing in Southern while fishing for other species. As Thailand, c/o P.O. Box 618, Bangkok, and December in the western Atlantic might be expected for a commercially Thailand. region. Both authors assumed the

August 1979 rainbow runner to be a year-round 1967, 1968), and eastern Gulf of after yellowfin tuna, Thunnus spawner. This species was the' most Mexico (Klima and Wickham, 1971). a/hacares, and dolphin fish. abundant epipelagic larval carangid in This species was thc most numerous of Another cruise was conducted by the tropical and warm temperate Indo­ the jack category (Serio/a sp., Caran>: RV Ca/amarduring May-June 1971 to Pacific regions and second most cn'sos) attracted to surface and test the effectiveness of drifting struc­ commonly captured carangid of the midwater structures moored in 11-13 tures in concentrating commercial five jack species (Decaplt-'rus punc­ m depths off Panama City, Fla., in July quantities of pelagic fish. Three struc­ ta/us, Seriu/a zunala, Selene vomer, 1969. On one occasion, an estimated tures were set adrift about 160 miles O/ifiop/i/es .Iaurus, and E/agali.\ 500 individuals were associated with a east-southeast of Barbados during the hipinnu/ala) studied from the western single structure. Rainbow runner and first leg and six structures were released Atlantic region. other jack species were most approximately 30 miles east of Larvae, postlarvae, and juveniles in commonly associated with single, Barbados during the second leg of the the Indo-Pacific region were captured surface structure~ than with complex cruise (Wolf, 1974). Difficulty was en­ at surface water temperatures between midwater structures. These jack species countered in keeping track of the 26.5° and 29.9°C with the highest oc­ generally oriented at the level of or individual structures which tended to currence in 28.0° C. Post larvae and below the structures. drift apart. Rainbow runner was juveniles were found to feed almost concentrated under these structures Oceanic Regime exclusively on copepods (Okiyama, and was the fifth most frequently cap­ 1970). Attraction of pelagic to a tured fish after yellowfin tuna, dol­ Young and adult rainbow runner drifting raft in the equatorial Pacific phin fish, skipjack tuna, Katsuwonus range as widely as the larvae and Yo'Jng between long. 148° and 160 0 W was pelami.\', and wahoo, Acanthocybium juveniles, occurring on the outer con­ studied by personnel of the Bureau of solam/ai. tinental shelf, around offshore Commercial Fisheries, Honolulu, Thor Heyerdahl (1978) sailed the islands/ banks, and in mid-. Hawaii, during two drifts in February­ reed craft Tigris across the north However, the rainbow runner is an March 1964 (Gooding and Magnuson, Arabian Sea from the mouth of the inconspicuous species so that nearly all 1967). Twenty-three different species Indus River to Djibouti in early 1978. documented reports of occurrences are were attracted to the raft during the The bottom of the craft after 3 months from around flotsam, artificial two drifts. Rainbow runner were in the sea supported an upside-down structures, or drifting craft. observed singly, accompanying the raft meadow of luxuriant life with during the 9-day drift south of the barnacles, , and a variety of small Neritic Regime Equator. fish. These in turn attracted schools of Occurrence of rainbow runner over The RV Discoverer drifted in the dolphin fish, rainbow runner, trigger­ various reefs on the continental shelf western Atlantic from lat. 13°N, long. fish, pilotfish and . off Louisiana in the Gulf of Mexico 39°W to lat. 10°, long. 49°W have been reported by Sonnier et al. during a 2.S-week period in February Large Schools (1976). Frequency of occurrence on 1969 (Potthoff, 1969). Dolphin fish, Rainbow runners aggregate in large these reefs increased from inshore to Coryphaena hippurus; blanket schools in specific areas during certain offshore, ranging from absent in 37 m, , TremoclupuS vio/aceus; times of the year. Visual sightings of occasional in 59 m, and common in flyingfish; and lanternfish were large schools have been reported from 110-130 m depths. This species was attracted to the vessel in large numbers the following areas: I) Navidad and rarely observed around oil platforms during this drift cruise. , , Silver Banks, Caribbean (Caribbean located throughout the study area, rainbow runner, and other species were Fishery Development Project cruise mostly in water depths of 18-55 m. attracted in lesser numbers. data sheets); 2) continental shelf off Hunter and Mitchell (1967) studied Personnel of the Caribbean Fishery Nicaragua, Caribbean (K. Kawaquchi I, the association of fishes with flotsam in Development Project conducted a pel's. commun.); 3) Atol das Rocas, the eastern tropical Pacific off Costa cruise in May 1970 to assess the poten­ Ilha de Fernando de Noronha, Rica during spring and fall 1963. tial of attracting pelagic fish to a offshore banks of northeastern Brazil, Flotsam found 1-31 miles off the near­ drifting vessel in sufficient quantities western tropical Atlantic (P. C. est land were sampled with a miniature for commercial fishing (Wolf, 1974). Conolly,2 pel's. commun.); 4) Rocas de purseseine. Young rainbow runner The drift was initiated approximately Sao Pedro e Sao Paulo, western were collected under 29 out of 70 220 miles east of Trinidad and termin­ tropical Atlantic (P. C. Conolly, flotsam sampled and ranked fifth in ated 20 miles west of St. Lucia. Fish frequency of occurrence. were attracted to the RV Calamar 'K. Kawaquchi, Project Manager/Training Rainbow runners have been from the first day of the cruise. Officer, FAO Fisheries Development Project, observed and/or captured around arti­ Considerable numbers of rainbow Ministry of Agriculture, P.O. Box 3028, ficial structures moored in the western runner were seen under the vessel, but Nassau, Bahamas. 'P. C. Conolly, Engenheiro de Pesca, Sea of Japan (Kojima, 1967), eastern were difficult to catch. This species was SUDEPE/PDP, Avenida Duque de Caxias. tropical Pacific (Hunter and Mitchell, the third most frequently captured fish, No. 190, Natal, Rio Grande do Norte, Brazil.

2 Marine Fisheries Review , LL I I / I f\r-. / I I I I P ~ I I I I I't, ~ I ~t~ 20 / ~';: !;;r § ~ <.-;;l! ~ , . h:h ~~ 2 ( -- f\ ¥: M ~ ~ * *17 0 - -~ C7 / ( ~ < ... f\ \ ~ ~ 20 \ ~ \ \ \ \ \ ~ l--'/! .0 I I I ! \ '\ \ \i \\\\\ ~ ?\ \\ I II 7 ~\ 0 2 I~ ~ \ \ \--\-\ 'I \\\ \ \ I I I 7 Figu.re 2.-Locations of rainbow runn~rsightings. Closed stars i':ldic~te sightings of large schools along co~tmental edges off oceamc banks and Islands. Open stars mdlcate slghtmgs under drifting craft in the oceanic regime.

footnote 2); 5) continental shelf off concentrations of this species occur in Feeding Habits Panama, 3 eastern tropical Pacific (T. other areas throughout the Caribbean, The rainbow runner has a small, Gastsson , pers. commun.); 5) Clipper­ western tropical Atlantic, eastern terminal mouth without sharp teeth ton Island, eastern tropical Pacific (c. tropical Pacific, and north Arabian which would limit the size of prey that Limbaugh, 1963); 7) specific location Sea, as well as throughout other this species can ingest to tiny unknown, Gulf of Aden (1. F. regions of the warm temperate and 4 organisms. Kojima (1967) classified LeGurun , pers. commun.); 8) tropical oceans. this species as a predator of fish and Daimaniyat Islands, off Batina coast of 5 squid (Group I of his classification) Oman, GulfofOman(M. A. Barwani , Association With whereas his table lists stomachs of pers. commun.). Other Fish young to contain fish eggs / larvae, plus Locations where rainbow runners fish flesh, , megalops, isopods, have been seen under drifting craft in Potthoff (1969 reports whitetip amphipods, and seaweeds. Field the oceanic regime and in large schools shark, Carcharhinus longimanus, examinations showed to along the edge of the continental shelf, being accompanied occasionally by be always present in the stomachs of offshore banks, and islands are shown rainbow runner during a 2.5-week drift adults captured by trolling gear off the in Fig. 2. It seems highly unlikely cruise of the R V Discoverer. Rainbow northeast coast of Brazil (P. C. that rainbow runner occurs in large runners were concentrated under the Conolly, footnote 2). Morphology and schools only in the above mentioned drift structures released by the RV limited data from stomach analyses locations. It is more likely that high Calamar during May-June 1971, in association with two species of sharks indicate the rainbow runner to be (C. longimanus and C. falciformis). principally a first-stage carnivore. Limbaugh (1963) observed rainbow JT. Gestsson, Masterfisherman FAO Off­ runner around Clipperton Island shore Trawling Survey cj 0 U DP, P.O. Box frequently escorting two species of 30218, Nairobi, Kenya. Fisheries 'J. F. leGurun, Fishing Technologistj Master­ sharks (c. platyrhynchus and C. fisherman, Development of Artisanal galapagensis) common there. The Pot Fishery of Fisheries, cj 0 U DP, P.O. Box 154, Dakar Senegal. ' rainbow runner has an affinity to Papua New Guinea 5M. A. Barwani, Director of Research and sharks, and in this habit is similar to Planning, Directorate of Fisheries Ministryof two other carangids, Naucrates ductor There is a pot fishery for rainbow A~riculture, Fisheries, Petr~leum and Minerals, P.O. Box 551, Muscat, Sultanate of and zonata, which are fre­ runner centered around Rabaul Oman. quently associated with sharks. Harbour in Papua New Guinea

August 1979 3 (Anonymous, 1968). The pot is records of 65 cruises to determine the continental shelf and offshore banks. dirigible-shaped, 1.8 m long and 1.5 m distribution, relative abundance, and During 1977, 13 combination fishing in diameter. It is constructed of 2.5- to species composition of incidental troll­ cruises (trolling/ handlining, trolling/ 3.7-cm thick bamboo strips and has a caught fish throughout the Caribbean gillnetting etc.) were completed by the funnel entrance at one end. This pot is Sea and adjacent . / Pq Diodorin (Anonymous~, 1977). fished about I m below the surface and Rainbow runner was the seventh most Rainbow runners were captured on held in position with rope and anchor frequently captured species and troll lines during all but one of these on the continental shelf and slope to accounted for 3 percent of the total cruises and was the sixth most 6 depths of 360 m (R. E. K. D. Lee , numbers. Highest captures were made frequently captured species (3 percent pers. commun.).The pot is baited with around Navidad and Silver Banks of the total). Schools of rainbow leaves to attract malambur, which are northeast of Hispaniola and along the runner were sighted during 10 of the fed upon by the rainbow runner. Nicaragua shelf. 13 cruises, primarily over the 200-m Yesaki (footnote 7) also examined depths along the eastern edge of Landings in Oman the fishing logs for simulated produc­ offshore islands and banks, i.e., the A cursory port sampling program to tion trolling cruises conducted by the edge fronting the South Equatorial monitor the landings of artisanal Jamaican Fisheries Division's RV Current. The numbers of rainbow fishermen at six locations along the Blue/in and the Caribbean Fishery runner captured by trolling were northeast coast of Oman was Development Project's RV Calamar nowhere near commensurate with the conducted during late 1972 and early and RV Fregata. The RV Blue/in numbers observed and prompted 1973 (Mardela International Ltd., conducted nine cruises around various personnel of SUDEPE/ PDP to 1975). Rainbow runner was the banks east, southeast, and south of initiate fishing trials with gillnets and seventh most abundant species or Jamaica from August to December in late 1977 with purse seine. species group and constituted 2.9 1967. Rainbow runner was the third percent by numbers ofthe total sample. most commonly captured fish and Handlining This sample did not include anchovie&, composed 17 percent of the total sardines, halfbeaks, lizardfish, or numbers. Highest catch rates of this mackerels, which are generally landed species were obtained on "Salmon Caribbean Fishery Development in baskets. Rainbow runner was Bank" (9.0 kg/hour), Albatross-Little Project's RV Alcyon conducted sampled at Mutrah and Qurayat and Albatross Banks (5.8 kg/hour), and extensive exploratory and simulated not at the other four ports. Mutrah and Morant Bank-Decca Ridge (5.1 production handline fishing in the Qurayat are rocky coastal ports, kg/ hour). These banks are located northwestern Caribbean Sea from whereas the others are sandy coastal southeast of Jamaica. The RV 1967 to 1970 (Kawaguchi, 1974). ports. Rainbow runner landings were Calamar expended one cruise and the Rainbow runner was captured by this markedly seasonal and observed only RV Fregata a day and parts of 2 days fishing method along the edge of the during the months of February (99 in simulated production trolling on Central American shelf, especially over fish), June (477), and July (260) at Anguilla Bank during April-May 1969. a high ridge that peaked at 29-33 m Mutrah and during April (199) at Rainbow runner was much less below the surface at lat. 14°33 'N, long. Qurayat. Artisanal fishermen capture abundant on this bank and composed 81 °45 oW . This species was attracted to this species incidentally with trap nets, only I percent of the total. the lights of the vessel while at anchor gillnets, troll lines, and handlines. The Federal fisheries service of for the night and captured near the Brazil (Superintendencia do Densen­ Incidental Captures surface with line and baited hook. volvimento de Pesca/ Programa de Highest catches of rainbow runner Trolling Pesquisa e Densenvolvimento were made from April to June when Caribbean Fishery Development Pesqueiro do Brasil) initiated ex­ this species accounted for 7.7 - 16.5 Project vessels generally fished two and ploratory fishing activities off the percent of the total landed weight. occasionally three troll lines from the northeast region in May 1976 with the The N/ Pq Diodorin made a cruise stern during daylight hours while N/ Pq Riobaldo and subsequently to Rocas de Sao Pedro and Sao Paulo steaming to and from fishing grounds with the N/ Pq Diodorin. The area of in the equatorial Atlantic in March and from one fishing station to investigations encompassed principally 1978. Four schools of rainbow runner 7 another. Yesaki (1969 ) examined the the continental shelf off the State of were sighted around these islands, of Natal, Atol das Rocas and Ilha de which one was attracted to the vessel Fernando de Noronha, as well as OR. E. K. D. Lee. Team Leader/ Master­ lights one morning. This school was fisherman, FAO Pole and Line Tuna Fishing in around several offshore banks. southern Thailand. c/o P.O. Box 618, Fishing activities included multiple Bangkok, Thailand. line trolling, handlining, gillnetting, 8 Anonymous. 1977. Relatorio do cruzerio nos. la 7Yesaki, M. 1969. Troll fishing catches in the squid jigging, and purse seining. 13 de 1977. Programa de Pesquisa e Desen­ Caribbean Sea and adjacent Atlantic Ocean. volvimento Pesqueiro do Brasil. Ministerio da UNDP/ FAO Caribbean Fishery Development Greatest effort was expended in trol­ Agricultura-Superintendencia do Desenvolvi­ Project. Mimeogr. rep., 25 p. ling with 16 lines along the edge ofthe mento da Pesca.

4 Marine Fisheries Review fished with unweighted lines and small night lights were gradually switched The argument that rainbow runner hooks baited with pieces of flyingfish off. The small fish concentrated by the is an abundant species is negated by the and 300 kg of rainbow runners was night lights remained with the flotsam/ paucity of documented accounts of captured during 1 hour of handlining lighted skiff, the purse seine was set occurrences and insignificant commer­ (P. C. Conolly, footnote 2). around the school (Simpson and cial landings. A probable reason why Chikuni, 1976). there are few documented accounts of Purse Seining The two charter vessels captured 975 occurrences is that this species appears Rainbow runner is not commonly t during the November 1975 to April to aggregate only in specific localities captured incidentally by tuna purse 1976 period, of which 76 percent and during certain periods of the year. seiners in the eastern Pacific Ocean (W. 14 percent were skipjack and yellow­ These localities are generally distant L. Klawe9~ pers. commun.), but is often fin/bigeye , respectively. The from land and infrequently visited by captured in the eastern Atlantic Ocean remainder of the catch was composed researchers. off Tema, Ghana (F. H. Berry 10, pers. of frigate mackeral, Auxis spp.; Another reason for the few accounts commun.). The largest known purse eastern little tuna, Euthynnus affinis, of rainbow runner occurrences is the seine catch of this species was made by barracuda, Sphyraena spp.; rainbow inconspicuous behavior of this species the FAO pool vessel RV Lemuruwhile runner; Spanish mackerel, Scom­ in contrast to other schooling large on assignment in Indonesia for a beromorus spp.; and sharks. pelagic fishes such as surface fisheries training project. This was a 6 t Rainbow runner was frequently swimming tunas. Tunas are voracious school, comprised predominately of captured in very small numbers, predators that often disturb the sea in a rainbow runner, which was detected by ranging from 0 to 20 individuals per "feeding frenzy" when after small fish. sonar and encircled with the purse set. However, commercial purse Also, surface swimming tunas are seine. The entire school was captured seiners in the Philippines land large generally followed by flocks of sea as was a submerged tree under which quantities, virtually tons, of rainbow birds which can be easily detected from the rainbow runners had been concen­ runner (R. E. K. D. Lee, see footnote afar. A rainbow runner school does not break the surface in a "feeding frenzy" trated (B. Bjarnason II, pers. 6). and is generally not followed by birds commun.) Discussion The South China Sea Fisheries (P. C. Conolly, footnote 2). Incidental captures of rainbow Development and Coordinating Pro­ Sufficient, if fragmentary, informa­ runner have been made with a variety gram chartered two purse seiners to tion has emerged to permit speculation evaluate the tuna resources, princi­ of gears, but very seldom in on the probable life history of the consistently commercial quantities. pally in the Moro Gulf and Sulu Sea rainbow runner. This species spends its Probable reasons this species is not off the Philippine Islands. Normal day­ larval, postlarval, juvenile, and much time purse seining tactics proved landed in larger quantities are use of of its young and adult life in the inappropriate gears and/ or limited ineffective during the intitial stages of epipelagic zone of warm temperate and the charter period, so nighttime fishing fishing in areas of high concentra­ tropical oceans. tions. tactics practiced by local purse seiners It is my hypothesis that the rainbow Surface trolling is practiced in warm were tried with encouraging results. runner occupies the ecological niche in temperate and tropical regions princi­ After various modifications, the the epipelagic zone of a first-stage pally to capture surface swimming following fishing tactic was adopted carnivore and, therefore, is the low­ tunas, Spanish mackerels, dolphin fish, for much of the duration of the charter latitude ocean equivalent of the Pacific wahoo, etc. Troll lures used for these period. The vessel searched for flotsam salmon, Oncorhynchus spp., in the species are too large for the small and upon locating a suitable log, raft, cold temperate Pacific Ocean. This mouth of the rainbow runner. Further­ etc., would tie onto it and drift. At hypothesis is based on general more, surface trolling is generally dusk, the night lights were switched on similarities in body form, limited conducted at speeds of4-6 knots which to concentrate small fish which served information of feeding habits, and may be too fast for this species. as an attractant for tuna. The flotsam sightings from drifting craft in the open Rainbow runners are frequently and skiff with gas light would be set ocean. captured with gillnets, princi­ adrift just before dawn and the vessel's The rainbow runner is dispersed in pally during the northern spring off small aggregations on the high seas and Muscat, Oman. The continental shelf 9W. L. Klawe, Senior Biologist, Inter­ American Tropical Tuna Commission, c/o at certain times of the year and/ or off Muscat is extremely narrow with Scripps Institution of Oceanography, LaJolla. particular stage in development, moves no freshwater outflow which results in CA 92037. to the outer continental shelf, offshore the intrusion of oceanic water almost 10F. H. Berry, Fishery Biologist, National Marine Fisheries Service, NOAA, Miami islands, and banks, sometimes in to the coast. Gillnets are not used Laboratory, 75 Virginia Beach Drive, Miami, considerable numbers. It is further extensively in the Caribbean nor off fL 33149. hypothesized that the rainbow runner either the of Central America "B. Bjarnason. Ve,sels Operations Officer. Regional Fishery Survey and Development is a latent resource of appreciable and northeastern Brazil. When they are Project, P.O. Box 3225, Doha. Qatar. magnitude in the low-latitude ocean. used they are restricted to the inner

August 1979 5 nentlc regime. Landings of rainbow Rocas de Sao Pedro and Sao Paulo in Hunter, J. R., and C. T. Mitchell. 1967. Association of fishes with Ootsam in the runner in these regions would likely the east. offshore waters of Central America. U.S. increase with extension of gill net Fishing trials to date in this region, Fish Wildl. Serv., Fish. Bull. 66:13-29. fishing to the outer neritic and oceanic principally with troll lines and ____ . and 1968. Field experiments on the attraction of pelagic fish regimes. handlines and to a lesser extent with to Ooating objects. J. Cons. 31 :427-434. Purse seining for small schooling gillnets and purse seines, have not Kawaguchi, K. 1974. Handline and longline fishing explorations for snapper and related fish in warm temperate and tropical yielded consistently high captures of species in the Caribbean and adjacent oceans is generally restricted to the rainbow runner. Gear research, where waters. Mar. Fish. Rev. 36(9):8-31. inner neritic regime, inshore of the and when the rainbow runner is known Klima, E. F .. and D. A. Wickham. 1971. Attraction of coastal pelagic fishes with normal distributional range of the to concentrate, to develop effective artificial structures. Trans. Am. Fish. Soc. rainbow runner. American tuna purse fishing gears to capture this species is of 100:86-99. seiners range the oceanic regime of the Kojima, S. 1967. Studies on fishing conditions paramount importance. Further of the dolphin, Conphaena hippurus, in the Pacific and Atlantic Oceans in their fishing trials with appropriate gillnets western regiom of the Sea of Japan XIII q uest for yellowfinand ski pjack and purse seines would probably be Tsukegi as a source 01 j ood lor dolphins. Bull. Jpn. Soc. Sci. Fish. 33:320-324. tunas. Rainbow runner is not captured most rewarding, though experimental Limbaugh, C 1963. Field notes on sharks. /n in large quantities by these seiners fishing with floating pots, traps, and PW Gilhert (cditor). Sharks and survival. which suggests that this species does midwater troll lines may be interesting. p. h3-94. D. C Heath and Co.. Boston. Mardela International Ltd 1<)75. Manne not aggregate in large concentrations Also, research is needed to develop resources development program. Sultanate in the areas fished. On the other hand, means of concentrating rainbow of Oman. Final report. Book JI. Vol. I, large schools of this species may not be runners in the outer neritic and chap. I. 38 p. Okiyama. M. 1970. Studies on the early life detected, or if detected, may not be set especially in the oceanic regime. history of the rainbow runner, E/agatis upon because of differential behavior hi/Jillllll/II/II.1 (Quoy and Gaimard) in thL' patterns. Indo-Pacific Occam. Bull. Far Seas Fish Res. I.ab. (Shimi;u) 3:lh7-IH6. Available information indicates that Literature Cited Potthoff. r 196<). Searching for tuna Com­ the most promising region for further Anonymous. 1968. Fish traps in Papua-\lew mer Fish Rev 31 (7):35-37 Guinea. Aust. Fish. Newsl. 27( 12):23-24. Simpson, A. C, and S Chikuni. 1976. Pro­ investigations of rainbow runner Aprieto, V. L. 1974. Early development offive gress report on fishing for tuna in Philippine would be the western tropical Atlantic carrangid fishes of the Gulf of Mexico and waters by FAa chartered purse seiners. Ocean. Here, sightings of large schools the south Atlantic coast ofthe United States. South China Sea Fisheries Development U.S Fish Wildl Serv., Fish. Bull 72:415­ and Coordinating Programme. Food Agric. and high incidental captures have been 443 Organ UN.. Rome. SCS!76/WP/35. 35 p. made from the offshore banks of the Briggs, J. C 1960. Fishes of worldwide (cir­ Sonnier. F, J Teerling. and H D. Hoese cumtropical) distribution. Copeia 1960: 171­ 1976. Observations on the offshore reef and Greater Antilles in the north, along the 180. platform fish fauna of Louisiana Copeia continental shelf off Central America Gooding, R. M., and J. J. Magnuson. 1967. 1976:105-111. in the west, around the offshore islands Ecological significance of a drifting object Wolf, R. S. 1974. Minor miscellaneousexplor­ to pelagic fishes. Pac. Sci. 21:4ll6-497. atory/experimental fishing activities in the and banks off the northeast corner of Heyerdahl. T. 197H. Tigril sails into the past. Caribbean and adjacent waters. Mar Fish Brazil in the south, and around the Na tl. Geogr. 154:H06-ll27. Rev. 36(9)78-87

6 Marilli' Fisheries Rn'iell'