The cruises of this series were carried out by the "Superintendência de Desenvolvimento da Pesca" (SUDEPE), through the "Grupo Especial para Execução de Pesquisas Marítimas e Lacustres" (GEEPMAL) from the state of Rio Grande do Sul, with support from the "Programa de Desenvolvimento Pesqueiro do Brasil" (PDP). Ichthyoplankton was obtained during 14 exploratory demersal fishing cruises, carried out in 1970, 1971 and 1976 by the Mestre Jerônimo and Cruz Del Sur Research Ships. Because they represent a continuity of sampling during the same time of year, cruises 1, 2 and 3 of 1970 were aggregated in a single cruise (SUDEPE_1, Winter), cruises 7 and 8 of 1970 (SUDEPE_2, Spring), cruises 1 and 2 of 1971 (SUDEPE_3, Winter), cruises 3 and 4 of 1971 (SUDEPE_4, Spring) , and cruises 5 and 6 of 1976 (SUDEPE_8, Winter).In the cruises conducted in 1970 and 1971 two sampling strategies were used. Horizontal trawls of 5 min duration, at 4-5 m depth and at a speed of 3 knots, using Gulf net of 0.18 m of mouth diameter and 500 µm mesh. Vertical trawls with 0.70 m diameter Nansen net and 500 µm mesh, from 50 m depth to the surface, or from the bottom at stations with depths of less than 50 m (Weiss et al. , 1976; Weiss & Souza, 1977). In the cruises made in 1976 the horizontal trawls were obtained at 8 m depth, and only in the first (SUDEPE_5, Summer) were horizontal and vertical trawls conducted. The samples of the cruises 5 and 6 of 1976 (SUDEPE_8) were obtained by the Cruz Del Sur Research Ship through vertical trawls with a conical net of 0.50 m in diameter and 200 µm mesh, from 50 m depth to the surface, or from the bottom at stations with depths less than 50 m (Weiss & Souza, 1977). The volume of filtered water in each trawl was calculated from the measurements obtained from the flowmeter coupled in the nets, and used to standardize the abundance of eggs and fish larvae per 100 m3 of filtered water.