A CONTINUOUS, UNDERWAY FISH EGG SAMPLER

We describe a method to sample the highly contagious distribution of p elagic fish eggs. CUFES, the continuous, underway fish egg sampler, co nsists of a submersible pump, concentrator, electronics and sample col lector. This system operates continuously and under nearly all sea con ditions, providing a real-time estimate of the volumetric abundance of pelagic fish eggs at pump depth, usually 3 m. CUFES-derived estimates of volumetric abundance agree well with those from nets towed at pump depth and with areal abundance estimated from vertically integrated p lankton tows. CUFES has been used successfully to sample the eggs of m enhaden, pinfish, sardine, and anchovy off the coasts of the eastern a nd western United States and South Africa. Two large patches of eggs o f the Atlantic menhaden were sampled off North Carolina in winter 1993 -94, had a linear scale of 5-10 km, and were found in waters between t he Gulf Stream and mid-shelf front. Spawning location may he related t o bathymetry. CUFES is now being used to estimate spawner biomass by t he daily egg production method. An optical plankton counter provided a ccurate estimates of the number of Atlantic menhaden eggs sample by CU FES.