Ichthyoplankton
SWFSC Ichthyoplankton
swfsc_ichthyoNOAA SWFSCunstatedv2026.09.11published
- years
- 1951–2023
- observations
- 482,250
- sampling events
- 54,197
- stations
- 207
- species
- 583
Overview
Ichthyoplankton (fish eggs and larvae) collected by bongo and manta net tows on CalCOFI cruises, processed by SWFSC.
Open with the provider
- Q10 citation_main — proposed
- Q11 license — proposed
- Q12 pi_names — proposed
Coverage
1 variable
Species and taxa
- Teleostei Unidentified Teliost 72797
- Engraulis mordax Northern anchovy 42044
- Sebastes Rockfishes 18187
- Vinciguerria lucetia Panama lightfish 14829
- Triphoturus mexicanus Mexican lampfish 14572
- Merluccius productus Pacific hake or whiting 14281
- Sardinops sagax Pacific sardine (pilchard) 13326
- Protomyctophum crockeri California flashlightfish 12893
- Stenobrachius leucopsarus Northern lampfish 12726
- Leuroglossus stilbius California smoothtongue 12482
- Trachurus symmetricus Jack mackerel 10632
- Lipolagus ochotensis Popeye blacksmelt 8554
- Lampanyctus 7777
- Bathylagoides wesethi Snubnose blacksmelt 7588
- Cololabis saira Pacific saury 7377
- Lampanyctus ritteri Broadfin lampfish 7109
- Diogenichthys laternatus Diogenes lanternfish 6058
- Citharichthys stigmaeus Speckled sanddab 5947
- Tarletonbeania crenularis Blue lanternfish 5584
- Cyclothone signata Showy bristlemouth 5526
- Symbolophorus californiensis California lanternfish 5465
- Citharichthys Sanddabs 5452
- Diogenichthys atlanticus Longfin lanternfish 5131
- Ceratoscopelus townsendi Dogtooth lampfish 5061
- Myctophidae Lanternfishes 4636
- Cyclothone 4427
- Melamphaes 4327
- Diaphus Headlightfishes 3730
- Citharichthys sordidus Pacific sanddab 3693
- Sebastes jordani Shortbelly rockfish 3255
- Stomias atriventer Blackbelly dragonfish 3177
- Teuthida squids 3132
- Scomber japonicus Pacific mackerel (chub mackerel) 2988
- Chauliodus macouni Pacific viperfish 2865
- Sebastes paucispinis Bocaccio 2521
- Icichthys lockingtoni Medusafish 2458
- Argyropelecus sladeni Lowcrest hatchetfish 2398
- Lestidiops ringens Slender barracudina 2306
- Lyopsetta exilis Slender sole 1966
- Sebastes diploproa Splitnose rockfish 1891
- Tetragonurus cuvieri Smalleye squaretail 1832
- Citharichthys xanthostigma Longfin sanddab 1785
- Genyonemus lineatus White croaker 1752
- Argentina sialis Pacific argentine 1705
- Idiacanthus antrostomus Pacific blackdragon 1681
- Paralichthys californicus California halibut 1660
- Hygophum atratum Thickhead lanternfish 1581
- Citharichthys fragilis Gulf sanddab 1471
- Paralepididae Barradcudinas 1469
- Sternoptyx Dollar hatchetfishes 1463
In the vocabulary, not yet observed (174)
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 auriculatus 3013
- Sebastes babcocki 3014
- Sebastes borealis 3015
- Sebastes brevispinis 3016
- Sebastes carnatus 3017
- Sebastes caurinus 3018
- Sebastes chlorostictus 3019
- Sebastes chrysomelas 3020
- Sebastes constellatus 3021
- Sebastes crameri 3022
- Sebastes elongatus 3024
- Sebastes ensifer 3025
- Sebastes entomelas 3026
- Sebastes eos 3027
- Sebastes flavidus 3028
- Sebastes gilli 3029
- Sebastes helvomaculatus 3030
- Sebastes hopkinsi 3031
- Sebastes maliger 3032
- Sebastes melanops 3033
- Sebastes miniatus 3034
- Sebastes moseri 3035
- Sebastes mystinus 3036
- Sebastes nebulosus 3037
- Sebastes nigrocinctus 3038
- Sebastes ovalis 3039
- Sebastes phillipsi 3040
- Sebastes proriger 3041
- Sebastes rastrelliger 3042
- Sebastes reedi 3043
- Sebastes rosaceus 3044
- Sebastes rosenblatti 3045
- Sebastes ruberrimus 3046
- Sebastes rubrivinctus 3047
- Sebastes rufinanus 3048
- Sebastes rufus 3049
- Sebastes serranoides 3050
- Sebastes serriceps 3051
- Sebastes simulator 3052
- Sebastes umbrosus 3053
- Sebastes wilsoni 3054
- 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 semicinctus 681
- Sebastes lentiginosus 690
- Sebastes pinniger 691
- Sebastes dallii 692
- 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.
Every way to have the bytes, by source. Nothing here asks you to register first.
Tables from the release (Parquet)
The release’s own tables, as the parquet objects it is frozen from — the same bytes every app and package below reads. A table this dataset shares with others holds every dataset’s rows, so filter on dataset_key; a partition holds only this dataset’s. since is the release whose rows these are: an unchanged table keeps its object.
CF netCDF
One self-describing file, for a tool that reads netCDF.
how far this file is CF
CF-1.10 where CF applies (coordinates, units, standard names, time). The site -> tow -> net -> occurrence hierarchy uses netCDF-4 groups with explicit parent_index links; CF defines no feature type for this nesting.
ERDDAP (erddap.calcofi.io)
One ERDDAP dataset per grain. Subset in the browser or query it from a script; for netCDF take the CF file above.
- length/stage frequency
- one row per size or stage class of a specimen, under the occurrence it belongs to
- observations
- one row per measurement — value, units and quality flag — joined to the sampling event it was taken on
- sampling events
- one row per cast, tow or transect: when, where and how it was sampled, with the effort that scales it
The same release, from a script or a browser SQL shell.
Packages
The whole release, pinned to a version, with the citation one call away.
con <- calcofi4r::cc_get_db()
calcofi4r::cc_cite("swfsc_ichthyo")con = calcofi4py.cc_get_db()
calcofi4py.cite("swfsc_ichthyo")DuckDB, anywhere
No CalCOFI package needed: each table above is a plain parquet object, readable by any DuckDB (or Arrow, pandas, Spark) from its URL. The path carries a content hash — a table whose rows did not change between releases keeps the same object, so nothing unchanged is stored or downloaded twice. Swap in any table above; one shared with other datasets needs WHERE dataset_key = 'swfsc_ichthyo'. Every object of every release is listed in db-schema.
SELECT *
FROM read_parquet('https://storage.googleapis.com/calcofi-db/ducklake/tables/obs/dataset_key=swfsc_ichthyo/8d9fb2f6ebc78db50d46338d/data_0.parquet')
LIMIT 100;db-query, in the browser
__TBL:obs__ is db-query’s name for the pinned release’s obs object — the hashed path above, resolved for you — so the same SQL keeps working when a release changes the object.
-- swfsc_ichthyo in the CalCOFI release v2026.09.11
SELECT *
FROM __TBL:obs__
WHERE dataset_key = 'swfsc_ichthyo'
LIMIT 100;Records about the data, in the standards each portal harvests.
Where this dataset is registered outside calcofi.io: each portal’s role, what it is for, the dataset’s status there and the identifier it is known by. The policy — which portal is the archive of record and why — is in Portals.
Policy Archive of record: OBIS, through the OBIS-USA IPT (published 2026-04, the Darwin Core Archive is rebuilt each release and staged for review before an upload). NCEI is SWFSC's to deposit as NOAA data, not CalCOFI's; EDI does not apply (not a CalCOFI program dataset). CalOOS: planned registration of the CoastWatch module.
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 v2026.09.11 [Data set]. Scripps Institution of Oceanography, NOAA Fisheries, and California Department of Fish and Wildlife. https://calcofi.io/db-schema/?v=v2026.09.11BibTeX
@misc{calcofi_release_v2026_09_11,
title = {CalCOFI Integrated Database, release v2026.09.11},
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=v2026.09.11}
}Source files
The original inputs the ingest notebook read, mirrored nightly from the shared Drive to the public files bucket — 15 files, 68.4 MB.
- cruise.csv32.4 KB2026-06-09
- docs/Kramer.pdf2.7 MB2026-06-09
- docs/Smith_Richardson.pdf5.8 MB2026-06-09
- eggs.csv4.0 MB2026-06-09
- eggstage.csv966 KB2026-06-09
- inverts.csv424 KB2026-06-09
- larvae.csv16.6 MB2026-06-09
- larvaesize.csv11.5 MB2026-06-09
- larvaestage.csv5.2 MB2026-06-09
- net.csv7.2 MB2026-06-09
- shiplookup.csv996 B2026-06-09
- species.csv54.4 KB2026-06-09
and 3 more
- station.csv6.3 MB2026-06-09
- tow.csv7.6 MB2026-06-09
- towtypelookup.csv653 B2026-06-09