Larvae of Nearshore Fishes in Oceanic Waters of the Central Equatorial Pacific

Abstract

Larvae of 72 taxa of nearshore fishes were identified from midwater trawl samples taken in oceanic waters between Hawai'i and Tahiti. Catches of nearshore fish larvae and number of taxa caught declined with distance from the closest island. Most of the taxa were taken only within 300 km of the nearest island; only eight taxa were taken more than twice at greater distances. Highest catches were at stations close to major island groups, the Hawaiian or Society islands. Among stations closest to small isolated islands, densities were higher relative to distance from shore within the North Equatorial Countercurrent and the Equatorial Undercurrent; these strong eastward- flowing currents routinely transport larvae > 1000 km from likely sources upstream. Even in the zones of higher abundance, densities of nearshore larvae were much lower than in coastal waters, and adequate sampling in oceanic waters requires larger, faster nets than those typically used for ichthyoplankton studies.