Experimental work was an important part of CalCOFI at the Southwest Fisheries Science Center in the 1970s and 1980s, but has now taken a less prominent role. These experimental studies were broadly focused on the two principal factors affecting the survival of the early life history stages of small pelagic fish, notably starvation and predation. The experimental studies relevant to CalCOFI spanned bioenergetics, growth, reproduction, feeding, behavior, cannibalism, and predation. Work in the laboratory and in the field complimented each other to effectively advance understanding of the early life history of the northern anchovy (Engraulis mordax) which was a key species of interest at that time.