Marine Research 1973

Plans for an International Symposium on the Early Life History of Fish were first discussed in 1967 at the F. A. O. Advisory Committee on Marine Resources Research {A. C. M. R. R. }. It was considered that studies on fish eggs and larvae were of value in estimating the size of fish stocks, in appraising the stock-recruitment relationship, and in helping to answer questions on the systematics and taxonomy of fish. An A. C. M. R. R. Working Party recommended in 1969 that a Symposium should be held and after discussion with the International Associa tion of Biological Oceanography {I. A. B. O. } Dr. J. H. S. Blaxter of the Scottish Marine Biological Association {S. M. B. A. } agreed to con vene the meeting with the help of a steering committee. Various in ternational agencies were interested in the meeting and agreed to sponsor it in various ways. These agencies included F. A. O. , I. A. B. O. , the International Council for the Exploration of the Sea {I. C. E. S. } and the Scientific Committee for Oceanic Research {S. C. O. R. }. In the final event F. A. O. supported the meeting by publishing the abstracts beforehand, providing travel funds for participants and publishing a report after the meeting. I. A. B. O. and S. C. O. R. provided travel funds and the Royal Society of London and S. M. B. A.

This volume contains the proceedings of a Symposium held at the University of Kiel, Germany, from 31 March to 6 April, 1971. The Symposium was organized by the Scientific Committee on Oceanic Research (SCOR) and the Marine Productivity section of the International Biological Programme (IBPIPM) with the assistance of the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO), the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), and the International Association of Biological Oceanography (IABO). The aim of the Symposium was to summarize present knowledge of the biology of the Indian Ocean. Twenty-two presentations by invited speakers reviewed the research work carried out during the International Indian Ocean Expedition (lIOE) 1959 -1965, the first cooperative project coordinated by the Intergovernmental Oceanographic Commission (IOC). In addition, reports were presented of postexpedition examination of material and of more recent investigations relevant to the aims of the lIOE. In keeping with the aims of "Ecological Studies", the present volume contains much new information and some synthesis, all directed towards obtaining an understanding of the functioning and organization of the ecosystem of the Indian Ocean. The plan of the Symposium was to present the relevant meteorological, physical, chemical and geological background and to follow this with the various aspects of biological oceanography. Because of the uneven stage of development of the different disciplines, the papers included in this volume vary in their analytical level.