Diurnal variations in catches of selected species of ichthyoneuston by the Boothbay neuston net off Charleston, South Carolina

The Boothbay neuston net is becoming a standard gear for collection of ichthyoneuston. Sherman and Lewis (1967) reported using this gear for collection of lobster larvae. Personnel participating in Cooperative Investigations of the Caribbean and Adjacent Regions activities have prepared a "Plan for Sampling the Early Development Stages of Pelagic Fish during CICAR Operations" which describes the use of the neuston net (FA03). The Boothbay neuston net, initially adopted as the standard for the Marine Resources Monitoring, Assessment and Prediction Program, consists of a pipe frame 2 m wide by 1 m deep with an 8.5-m long net.4 Because little was known concerning the sampling performance of this gear, an experiment was designed to test the operating characteristics of two types of frame (galvanized pipe and aluminum pipe) and two lengths of net (4.9 m and 8.5 m with ratios of mouth to open mesh aperture areas of 1:6 and 1:11, respectively). The nets were of 0.947-mm Nitex5 mesh. The results of the experiment defining the operating characteristics of the two types offrame and two lengths ofnet were described by Eldridge et al. (1977). The present report will describe mainly diurnal variations in catches of ichthyoneuston during the latter experiment, which was conducted during 9-15 July 1973 utilizing the RV Dolphin.