The water masses found in the Eastern Philippines have been classified into three distinct bodies based 011 temperature-salinity relationship, namely, the Western North Pacific Central, water, the Pacific Equatorial water, and the North Pacific Intermediate water. However, the North Pacific Intermediate water mass has been excluded from this analysis because its temperature-salinity relationships are not as clear cut as those of the first two and its position in the water column is such that it vitiates the determination of percentage composition. The westerly North Pacific Equatorial Current carries these water masses into the waterways and inland seas of the Philippines, either directly or indirectly through the South China Sea to the west or the Celebes Sea to the South. An analysis then of the structure and composition of these water masses prior to their entry into the fishing areas of the Philippines will fill the need for understanding the physical factors that define the normal patterns of marine ecology of these fishing grounds. The importance of this knowledge is, therefore, fundamental to fisheries investigations in the Philippines.
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