EVALUATION OF A PUMPING SYSTEM FOR SAMPLING ZOOPLANKTON

This study describes the sampling efficiency of a plankton pump design ed to operate from a moving research vessel. The sampling efficiency o f the pump was evaluated by comparing the catch per unit volume of sev eral planktonic taxa sampled simultaneously with the pump and with a m odified Gulf V plankton sampler or a tube sampler. The estimates of pl ankton density obtained with the pump sampler corresponded well with t hose obtained with the modified plankton net and tube sampler. We conc lude that the use of a plankton pump in zooplankton sampling gives res ults comparable to those found with traditional sampling, except that the results were biased for the sampling of rotifers and copepod eggs.