In 1974 NOAA initiated a planned series of three seasonal baseline investigations of Deepwater Dumpsite 106 (DWD 106) to assess the impact of present dumping activities and to provide a comparative base for future assessments. This report contains the data collected in the first investigation done in May 1975. The NOAA approach is aimed at determining a baseline - a description of the biological, geological, chemical, physical oceanographic and climactic conditions of the area, against which future changes can be assessed, and for selected research studies to be performed. Significant findings include the following: Most heavy metals in the finfish and invertebrates sampled showed little variation, with lead showing greater variation than other metals; Diversity of benthic species was greater and less variable on the slope than on the shelf. The biomass of demersal species increased at the shelf break and remained constant to 2000 m where it decreased; Numerical abundance of individuals caught showed an expected decrease with depth; Diversity of identifiable shelf species of plankton was found to be greatest at stations near the Hudson Canyon.