CalCOFI.io CalCOFI.io open data ecosystem

Ichthyoplankton

SWFSC Ichthyoplankton

swfsc_ichthyoNOAA SWFSCunstatedv2026.10.14published

years
1951–2023
observations
487,616
sampling events
53,604
stations
215
species
612
1951 · 11,794 obs1952 · 13,383 obs1953 · 11,686 obs1954 · 13,863 obs1955 · 10,771 obs1956 · 9,591 obs1957 · 12,385 obs1958 · 14,728 obs1959 · 17,301 obs1960 · 15,062 obs1961 · 7,907 obs1962 · 8,929 obs1963 · 10,298 obs1964 · 11,481 obs1965 · 11,963 obs1966 · 21,613 obs1967 · 3,109 obs1968 · 3,716 obs1969 · 18,180 obs1970 · 0 obs1971 · 0 obs1972 · 13,650 obs1973 · 0 obs1974 · 1,782 obs1975 · 12,470 obs1976 · 0 obs1977 · 833 obs1978 · 14,446 obs1979 · 2,860 obs1980 · 3,773 obs1981 · 13,563 obs1982 · 965 obs1983 · 3,161 obs1984 · 10,176 obs1985 · 4,880 obs1986 · 4,318 obs1987 · 5,215 obs1988 · 5,359 obs1989 · 5,082 obs1990 · 4,261 obs1991 · 5,432 obs1992 · 4,412 obs1993 · 3,506 obs1994 · 3,895 obs1995 · 3,575 obs1996 · 4,004 obs1997 · 3,685 obs1998 · 9,695 obs1999 · 5,620 obs2000 · 6,938 obs2001 · 3,727 obs2002 · 9,132 obs2003 · 8,692 obs2004 · 5,844 obs2005 · 5,387 obs2006 · 8,118 obs2007 · 3,126 obs2008 · 4,353 obs2009 · 4,346 obs2010 · 4,641 obs2011 · 5,299 obs2012 · 5,537 obs2013 · 6,255 obs2014 · 5,154 obs2015 · 5,818 obs2016 · 4,971 obs2017 · 3,413 obs2018 · 2,015 obs2019 · 1,966 obs2020 · 830 obs2021 · 1,321 obs2022 · 1,551 obs2023 · 804 obs
observations per year, 1951–2023
st0-ln10_hist · 344 obs · 1972–2016st20-ln10_hist · 150 obs · 1972–2014st40-ln10_hist · 27 obs · 1972–2005st60-ln10_hist · 32 obs · 1972–1972st80-ln10_hist · 13 obs · 1972–2001st0-ln20_hist · 244 obs · 2003–2016st20-ln20_hist · 392 obs · 1972–2016st40-ln20_hist · 183 obs · 1972–2010st60-ln20_hist · 55 obs · 1972–2005st80-ln20_hist · 31 obs · 1972–2005st100-ln20_hist · 24 obs · 1972–1972st120-ln20_hist · 1 obs · 1972–1972st0-ln30_hist · 10 obs · 2008–2008st20-ln30_hist · 746 obs · 1972–2016st40-ln30_hist · 761 obs · 1972–2016st60-ln30_hist · 207 obs · 1972–2016st80-ln30_hist · 83 obs · 1972–2008st100-ln30_hist · 22 obs · 2001–2005st40-ln40_hist · 953 obs · 1951–2016st60-ln40_hist · 897 obs · 1951–2016st80-ln40_hist · 313 obs · 1951–2008st100-ln40_hist · 72 obs · 1951–2005st120-ln40_hist · 35 obs · 1969–2005st140-ln40_hist · 8 obs · 1972–1972st100-ln50_hist · 225 obs · 1951–2006st120-ln50_hist · 73 obs · 1951–2005st40-ln55_hist · 315 obs · 1951–2016st60-ln55_hist · 2,179 obs · 1951–2016st80-ln55_hist · 722 obs · 1951–2015st53-ln60 · 1,941 obs · 1951–2022st60-ln60 · 1,360 obs · 1951–2022st70-ln60 · 1,407 obs · 1951–2022st80-ln60 · 978 obs · 1951–2022st90-ln60 · 894 obs · 1951–2020st100-ln60 · 298 obs · 1951–2005st110-ln60_hist · 319 obs · 1951–2005st140-ln60_hist · 136 obs · 1960–1972st160-ln60_hist · 189 obs · 1960–1972st180-ln60_hist · 253 obs · 1960–1965st200-ln60_hist · 196 obs · 1960–1965st52-ln63.3 · 1,699 obs · 1951–2022st55-ln63.3 · 1,487 obs · 1951–2022st60-ln63.3 · 1,512 obs · 1951–2022st70-ln63.3 · 1,053 obs · 1951–2022st80-ln63.3 · 765 obs · 1956–2022st90-ln63.3 · 624 obs · 1956–2022st100-ln63.3 · 98 obs · 1958–2005st50-ln66.7 · 1,987 obs · 1951–2022st55-ln66.7 · 1,765 obs · 1951–2022st60-ln66.7 · 1,465 obs · 1952–2022st65-ln66.7 · 687 obs · 1951–2010st70-ln66.7 · 1,121 obs · 1956–2022st75-ln66.7 · 103 obs · 1959–2012st80-ln66.7 · 886 obs · 1956–2022st85-ln66.7 · 79 obs · 1959–2013st90-ln66.7 · 682 obs · 1956–2022st95-ln66.7 · 5 obs · 1991–2007st100-ln66.7 · 213 obs · 1958–2012st51-ln70 · 1,238 obs · 1951–2022st55-ln70 · 1,590 obs · 1951–2022st60-ln70 · 1,463 obs · 1951–2022st70-ln70 · 2,116 obs · 1951–2022st80-ln70 · 1,483 obs · 1951–2022st90-ln70 · 1,236 obs · 1951–2022st100-ln70 · 668 obs · 1951–2012st140-ln70_hist · 12 obs · 1951–1965st160-ln70_hist · 15 obs · 1965–1965st180-ln70_hist · 36 obs · 1965–2002st200-ln70_hist · 253 obs · 1960–1972st50-ln73.3 · 1,550 obs · 1951–2023st55-ln73.3 · 1,764 obs · 1952–2023st60-ln73.3 · 2,065 obs · 1951–2022st70-ln73.3 · 1,665 obs · 1955–2022st80-ln73.3 · 1,119 obs · 1955–2022st90-ln73.3 · 876 obs · 1955–2022st100-ln73.3 · 237 obs · 1968–2012st49-ln76.7 · 1,957 obs · 1953–2023st51-ln76.7 · 3,081 obs · 1951–2023st55-ln76.7 · 3,655 obs · 1951–2023st60-ln76.7 · 3,192 obs · 1952–2023st70-ln76.7 · 3,327 obs · 1951–2023st80-ln76.7 · 2,273 obs · 1955–2022st90-ln76.7 · 2,167 obs · 1955–2022st100-ln76.7 · 1,646 obs · 1968–2022st50.5-ln80 · 559 obs · 1963–2023st51-ln80 · 3,954 obs · 1951–2023st55-ln80 · 4,113 obs · 1951–2023st60-ln80 · 3,996 obs · 1951–2023st70-ln80 · 3,660 obs · 1951–2023st80-ln80 · 3,040 obs · 1951–2023st90-ln80 · 3,031 obs · 1951–2023st100-ln80 · 2,253 obs · 1951–2023st140-ln80_hist · 133 obs · 1953–1972st160-ln80_hist · 113 obs · 1953–1972st180-ln80_hist · 25 obs · 1962–1965st200-ln80_hist · 263 obs · 1960–1965st43.5-ln81.7 · 643 obs · 1964–2023st46.9-ln81.8 · 3,918 obs · 1953–2023st39.4-ln83.3 · 709 obs · 1953–2022st40.6-ln83.3 · 3,315 obs · 1953–2023st42-ln83.3 · 4,819 obs · 1951–2023st51-ln83.3 · 4,798 obs · 1951–2023st55-ln83.3 · 3,764 obs · 1951–2023st60-ln83.3 · 3,974 obs · 1951–2023st70-ln83.3 · 3,485 obs · 1951–2023st80-ln83.3 · 3,073 obs · 1951–2023st90-ln83.3 · 2,910 obs · 1951–2023st100-ln83.3 · 1,905 obs · 1960–2023st110-ln83.3 · 1,962 obs · 1951–2023st35.8-ln85.4 · 1,428 obs · 1951–2022st33-ln86.7 · 3,580 obs · 1963–2023st35-ln86.7 · 4,433 obs · 1951–2023st40-ln86.7 · 4,962 obs · 1951–2023st45-ln86.7 · 5,008 obs · 1952–2023st50-ln86.7 · 5,085 obs · 1951–2023st55-ln86.7 · 3,764 obs · 1952–2023st60-ln86.7 · 3,919 obs · 1951–2023st70-ln86.7 · 3,491 obs · 1951–2023st80-ln86.7 · 2,909 obs · 1951–2023st90-ln86.7 · 3,013 obs · 1951–2023st100-ln86.7 · 1,982 obs · 1960–2023st110-ln86.7 · 1,688 obs · 1963–2023st32.5-ln86.8 · 843 obs · 1963–2023st30.1-ln88.5 · 1,276 obs · 1974–2023st27.7-ln90 · 467 obs · 1963–2023st28-ln90 · 4,170 obs · 1951–2023st30-ln90 · 4,250 obs · 1951–2023st35-ln90 · 2,665 obs · 1952–2023st37-ln90 · 4,111 obs · 1951–2023st45-ln90 · 4,533 obs · 1951–2023st53-ln90 · 4,904 obs · 1951–2023st60-ln90 · 4,246 obs · 1951–2023st70-ln90 · 4,046 obs · 1951–2023st80-ln90 · 3,667 obs · 1951–2023st90-ln90 · 3,517 obs · 1951–2023st100-ln90 · 2,937 obs · 1951–2023st110-ln90 · 2,162 obs · 1951–2023st120-ln90 · 2,652 obs · 1951–2023st140-ln90_hist · 830 obs · 1953–1978st160-ln90_hist · 496 obs · 1953–1978st180-ln90_hist · 415 obs · 1960–1978st200-ln90_hist · 334 obs · 1960–1978st26.4-ln91.7 · 1,185 obs · 1974–2023st26.7-ln93.3 · 2,920 obs · 1951–2023st28-ln93.3 · 3,086 obs · 1952–2023st30-ln93.3 · 3,868 obs · 1951–2023st35-ln93.3 · 3,621 obs · 1952–2023st40-ln93.3 · 3,605 obs · 1951–2023st45-ln93.3 · 3,339 obs · 1951–2023st50-ln93.3 · 4,019 obs · 1951–2023st55-ln93.3 · 3,278 obs · 1952–2023st60-ln93.3 · 4,075 obs · 1951–2023st70-ln93.3 · 3,645 obs · 1951–2023st80-ln93.3 · 3,587 obs · 1951–2023st90-ln93.3 · 3,298 obs · 1951–2023st100-ln93.3 · 2,668 obs · 1955–2023st110-ln93.3 · 2,130 obs · 1959–2023st120-ln93.3 · 1,982 obs · 1959–2023st26.4-ln93.4 · 428 obs · 1951–2022st20-ln100_hist · 5,191 obs · 1951–2006st40-ln100_hist · 19,752 obs · 1951–2010st60-ln100_hist · 13,984 obs · 1951–2010st80-ln100_hist · 8,976 obs · 1951–2010st100-ln100_hist · 2,274 obs · 1951–2009st120-ln100_hist · 292 obs · 1951–1975st140-ln100_hist · 72 obs · 1958–1998st160-ln100_hist · 46 obs · 1962–1972st180-ln100_hist · 21 obs · 1964–1972st200-ln100_hist · 19 obs · 1964–1964st20-ln110_hist · 964 obs · 1951–1996st40-ln110_hist · 19,053 obs · 1951–2000st60-ln110_hist · 12,079 obs · 1951–2003st80-ln110_hist · 7,717 obs · 1951–1984st100-ln110_hist · 861 obs · 1951–1998st120-ln110_hist · 265 obs · 1951–2006st140-ln110_hist · 46 obs · 1962–1965st160-ln110_hist · 78 obs · 1962–2006st180-ln110_hist · 12 obs · 1972–1972st20-ln120_hist · 6,174 obs · 1951–1996st40-ln120_hist · 18,883 obs · 1951–2003st60-ln120_hist · 11,250 obs · 1951–1989st80-ln120_hist · 4,880 obs · 1951–1999st100-ln120_hist · 867 obs · 1951–2003st120-ln120_hist · 191 obs · 1951–2006st140-ln120_hist · 18 obs · 1972–1972st160-ln120_hist · 69 obs · 1972–2003st0-ln130_hist · 76 obs · 1998–2003st20-ln130_hist · 4,838 obs · 1951–1998st40-ln130_hist · 13,260 obs · 1951–2003st60-ln130_hist · 7,193 obs · 1951–2003st80-ln130_hist · 1,108 obs · 1951–1999st100-ln130_hist · 260 obs · 1951–2006st120-ln130_hist · 208 obs · 1954–2003st140-ln130_hist · 12 obs · 2006–2006st-20-ln140_hist · 18 obs · 1999–1999st0-ln140_hist · 26 obs · 1998–2000st20-ln140_hist · 4,153 obs · 1951–2003st40-ln140_hist · 4,475 obs · 1951–2003st60-ln140_hist · 1,910 obs · 1951–2003st80-ln140_hist · 400 obs · 1951–2003st100-ln140_hist · 98 obs · 1954–2006st120-ln140_hist · 73 obs · 1972–2003st-20-ln150_hist · 58 obs · 1998–2003st0-ln150_hist · 74 obs · 1998–2003st20-ln150_hist · 1,723 obs · 1951–2000st40-ln150_hist · 1,275 obs · 1951–2003st60-ln150_hist · 558 obs · 1951–2003st80-ln150_hist · 141 obs · 1951–2000st100-ln150_hist · 76 obs · 1951–1990st-20-ln160_hist · 172 obs · 1972–2006st0-ln160_hist · 244 obs · 1951–2000st20-ln160_hist · 624 obs · 1951–2003st40-ln160_hist · 419 obs · 1951–2003st60-ln160_hist · 162 obs · 1956–1999st80-ln160_hist · 49 obs · 1959–1999135°W130°W125°W120°W115°W110°W20°N25°N30°N35°N40°N45°Nextent continues beyond the frame
215 CalCOFI stations sampled, sized by observations, over the survey grid; the record’s extent continues beyond the frame.

Overview

Ichthyoplankton (fish eggs and larvae) collected by bongo and manta net tows on CalCOFI cruises, processed by SWFSC. Counts are per net, with SWFSC’s own effort (volume filtered, standard haul factor, proportion sorted). A tow with no egg, larva or invertebrate record is a true zero: it stays as a sample with its effort, and abundance rows are positive only. Counts of species codes that share a WoRMS AphiaID are summed per net; each code keeps its own name. A tow’s and net’s maximum depth is the maximum possible depth of the net (SWFSC NetDepth), not a measured depth: over a shallower sea floor the net did not reach it. Egg stages 12-15 are left out of the egg stage distribution. Fish grown past the larval stage are in their own table, fish. MOCNESS tows are not in the source.

Keywords
FishRay-finned fishesFish Abundance and BiodiversityCalCOFI NetworkInvertebrate Abundance and Diversity

Open with the provider

  • Q10 citation_main — proposed
  • Q11 license — proposed
  • Q12 pi_names — proposed

Coverage

6 variables

obs_bio profile · one value per taxon at a sampling event · 487,616 values · 1951–2023 · 1 variable

abundance count 487,616

sample_measurement per cast · one value for the whole cast or tow, at no depth · 324,284 values on 77,888 sampling events · 1951–2023 · 5 variables

prop_sorted dimensionless 77,888std_haul_factor dimensionless 77,888volume_sampled m3 77,888small_plankton_biomass mL 45,310total_plankton_biomass mL 45,310

Species and taxa

In the vocabulary, not yet observed (145)

Names this dataset declares in dataset_taxon that carry no observation anywhere in the release, so the species catalog draws no page for them.

  • Pyrosoma 10000
  • Heteropoda 10006
  • Velella velella 10008
  • Cirripedia 10010
  • Osmeriformes 108
  • Astronesthes gibbsi 112
  • Sternoptyx pseudobscura 114
  • Porichthys notatus 1328
  • Melanostomias valdiviae 134
  • Opostomias mitsuii 135
  • Hippocampus kuda 1490
  • Chauliodontinae 155
  • Nectoliparis pelagicus 1550
  • Idiacanthinae 160
  • Belonidae 175
  • Ablennes hians 176
  • Cypselurus callopterus 179
  • Euleptorhamphus viridis 182
  • Plectroglyphidodon imparipennis 1825
  • Hirundichthys rondeletii 188
  • Notosudidae 195
  • Aulopidae 200
  • Cirripectes 2040
  • Alepisauridae 210
  • Microdesmus multiradiatus 2165
  • Ptereleotrinae 2170
  • Torpedo californica 22
  • Anchoa compressa 27
  • Notoscopelus 282
  • Elopidae 3
  • Sebastes aleutianus 3010
  • Sebastes alutus 3011
  • Sebastes atrovirens 3012
  • Sebastes babcocki 3014
  • Sebastes borealis 3015
  • Sebastes brevispinis 3016
  • Sebastes carnatus 3017
  • Sebastes chrysomelas 3020
  • Sebastes eos 3027
  • Sebastes maliger 3032
  • Sebastes melanops 3033
  • Sebastes nebulosus 3037
  • Sebastes nigrocinctus 3038
  • Sebastes proriger 3041
  • Sebastes reedi 3043
  • Sebastes serriceps 3051
  • Sebastes umbrosus 3053
  • Sebastes zacentrus 3055
  • Saccopharynx 320
  • Lestidium bigelowi 324
  • Avocettina 332
  • Benthalbella linguidens 337
  • Alepocephalus 36
  • Bajacalifornia burragei 38
  • Lophotidae 387
  • Beryciformes 388
  • Bathylaco nigricans 39
  • Diretmidae 390
  • Aluterus scriptus 394
  • Mola mola 400
  • Anoplogaster cornuta 402
  • Scopelogadus 411
  • Mirorictus taningi 42
  • Platytroctidae 43
  • Xenichthys xanti 451
  • Mentodus eubranchus 46
  • Mulloidichthys dentatus 461
  • Atherinops 471
  • Sphyraenidae 485
  • Albulidae 5
  • Opisthoproctidae 50
  • Chloroscombrus 506
  • Decapterus scombrinus 509
  • Argentinoidei 51
  • Stromateidae 530
  • Centrolophidae 535
  • Tetragonuridae 545
  • Coryphaenidae 555
  • Auxis thazard 562
  • Auxis rochei 563
  • Caristius 566
  • Cyclothone pallida 60
  • Cynoscion 611
  • Scorpaeniformes 669
  • Sebastes lentiginosus 690
  • Sebastes pinniger 691
  • Anoplopomatidae 710
  • Sarritor frenatus 763
  • Stellerina xyosterna 768
  • Agonopsis vulsa 769
  • Careproctus melanurus 776
  • Macroramphosidae 780
  • Acanthogobius flavimanus 787
  • Cosmocampus arctus 789
  • Macroramphosus 793
  • Malacanthidae 810
  • Batrachoididae 820
  • Astroscopus 836
  • Ammodytidae 880
  • Lamprogrammus niger 882
  • Lycenchelys 883
  • Bregmacerotidae 885
  • Lycodapus mandibularis 888
  • Melanonus zugmayeri 889
  • Animalia 9000
  • Physiculus nematopus 911
  • Citharichthys gilberti 922
  • Reinhardtius hippoglossoides 950
  • Abralia trigonura 9556
  • Abraliopsis affinis 9559
  • Enoploteuthis 9567
  • Enoploteuthis jonesi 9568
  • Oneirodes eschrichtii 957
  • Ancistrocheirus lesueurii 9575
  • Octopoteuthis nielseni 9588
  • Onychoteuthis compacta 9596
  • Onychoteuthis banksii 9599
  • Cycloteuthis sirventi 9612
  • Histioteuthis hoylei 9642
  • Brachioteuthis 9653
  • Dosidicus gigas 9661
  • Nototodarus hawaiiensis 9665
  • Ommastrephes bartramii 9669
  • Sthenoteuthis oualaniensis 9670
  • Hyaloteuthis pelagica 9675
  • Thysanoteuthidae 9676
  • Soleidae 968
  • Chiroteuthis imperator 9683
  • Planctoteuthis 9687
  • Mastigoteuthis inermis 9692
  • Mastigoteuthis pyrodes 9693
  • Drechselia danae 9710
  • Liocranchia 9711
  • Liocranchia reinhardti 9712
  • Helicocranchia pfefferi 9731
  • Liguriella podophthalma 9735
  • Megalocranchia 9740
  • Lophiidae 975
  • Eledonella pygmaea 9750
  • Vitreledonellidae 9757
  • Chaunacidae 985
  • Chaunax 986
  • Ceratiidae 992
  • Melanocetidae 994
  • Linophryne 997

Life stages

egginvertlarva

Access

Every endpoint this dataset can be reached through, grouped by how you would use it. Each name is the link; the copy button beside it copies the address. Everything is in the release record and was answered when the release was cut.

Apps that read this dataset from the release. The icons after a name are the app’s lenses — the spatial grain it shows the data at.

CalCOFI ExplorerAcross datasetsopens on this dataset
Station ExplorerAcross datasetsopens on this dataset
Hexagon ExplorerAcross datasetsopens on this dataset
Cruise ExplorerAcross datasetsopens on this dataset
Larvae DashboardStudent contribution

Everything here is open — nothing on calcofi.io asks you to register first. If this dataset ends up in something you build or publish, register your use so it can be credited and linked back; to hear when a release changes it, stay informed. Questions: data@calcofi.io.

Cite

This dataset's own citation. What to cite, and how, is a chapter of the docs book.

NOAA Fisheries SWFSC. CalCOFI Ichthyoplankton Database.
BibTeX
@misc{swfsc_ichthyo,
  title        = {SWFSC Ichthyoplankton},
  howpublished = {NOAA Fisheries SWFSC. CalCOFI Ichthyoplankton Database.}
}

…and the release it came from

CalCOFI (2026). CalCOFI Integrated Database, release v2026.10.14 [Data set]. Scripps Institution of Oceanography, NOAA Fisheries, and California Department of Fish and Wildlife. https://calcofi.io/db-schema/?v=v2026.10.14
BibTeX
@misc{calcofi_release_v2026_10_14,
  title     = {CalCOFI Integrated Database, release v2026.10.14},
  author    = {CalCOFI},
  year      = {2026},
  publisher = {Scripps Institution of Oceanography, NOAA Fisheries, and California Department of Fish and Wildlife},
  url       = {https://calcofi.io/db-schema/?v=v2026.10.14}
}

Source files

The original inputs the ingest notebook read, mirrored nightly from the shared Drive to the public files bucket — 32 files, 171 MB.

and 20 more