The Sargasso Sea Eel Expedition 1979

The background and aims of the Sargasso Sea Expedition for exploring the reproduction of the eel (Anguilla spp.) in the North Atlantic are described. The ships used for the investigations in the Sargasso Sea and during transects across the North Atlantic were F. R. V. Anton Dohrn and R. V. Friedrich Heincke, provided by the Federal Republic of Germany. Their technical and scientific equipment and their staffs are described. The courses of the cruises are mapped and the geographical positions of the investigations as well as the different instruments employed are tabulated as a source of basic data for more specialized papers published in this issue or elsewhere. Reference is also given to relevant papers which have been published elsewhere. Important but unpublished preliminary results are mentioned. Suggestions for future research needs are made.