Ichthyoplankton was sampled from December 1991 through April 1993 at five stations along an onshore-offshore transect near Davenport, California. In total, 66,301 larval fishes representing 63 taxa were collected. The five most abundant taxa (Merluccius productus, Engraulis mordax, Sebastes spp., Stenobrachius leucopsarus and Genyonemus lineatus) comprised >94% of all larvae. Engraulis mordax abundance during January-April 1992 was three times higher than in comparable samples from 1993; in contrast, M. productus abundance was more than 50 times lower during January-April 1992 than in comparable samples from 1993. Additionally, mean January-April abundance of many larval fish taxa peaked further inshore in 1992 than 1993. These differences were attributed to oceanographic conditions associated with the 1992-93 El Niño. Cluster analysis of data from January-April samples revealed ecologically significant clusters in 1992 and 1993. Finally, a survey was completed comparing ichthyoplankton abundance and taxonomic composition in Davenport samples with those inside Monterey Bay.