The near-surface ichthyoplankton of Georges Bank, Nantucket Shoals, and Gulf of Maine was collected with a modified David neuston katamaran during November 1972–1977. The gear sampled the top 10 cm of the water column with one net and the 20–35-cm-deep stratum with a second. Hake larvae were concentrated in warmer waters of Georges Bank and Nantucket Shoals, including the continental slope; fourbeard rocklings were most abundant in cooler coastal waters of the Gulf of Maine and near Cape Cod. Distribution of the two taxa overlapped only in the temperature range 11–13°C. Hake larvae were more abundant in the upper net during the day than at night, implying diel migrations from the neuston. Fourbeard rocklings were always most abundant in the surface net.