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The National Marine Fisheries Service's Northeast Fisheries Science Center conducted standardized ichthyoplankton surveys from 1977-1988 along the continental shelf between Cape Hatteras, North Carolina and Cape Sable, Nova Scotia. These data were collected as part of a comprehensive fisheries ecosystem study to identify changes in fish community structure and investigate recruitment mechanisms. During this time period 25,000 bongo samples were collected within this broad area. In this analysis, a subset of the data were used to model ichthyoplankton abundance and distribution within the Gulf of Maine from Cape Sable, Nova Scotia to southern Massachusetts. Overall, 6,406 samples were used to model abundance and distribution within a seasonal time series (Figure 3.2.1). Additionally, samples conducted within Stellwagen Bank National Marine Sanctuary were analyzed to determine species composition abundance within the Sanctuary.