Evaluation of a pumping system for sampling zooplankton

Abstract

This study describes the sampling efficiency of a plankton pump designed to operate from a moving research vessel. The sampling efficiency of the pump was evaluated by comparing the catch per unit volume of several planktonic taxa sampled simultaneously with the pump and with a modified Gulf V plankton sampler or a tube sampler. The estimates of plankton density obtained with the pump sampler corresponded well with those obtained with the modified plankton net and tube sampler. We conclude that the use of a plankton pump in zooplankton sampling gives results comparable to those found with traditional sampling, except that the results were biased for the sampling of rotifers and copepod eggs.