Evaluation of a pumping system for sampling zooplankton

This study describes the sampling efficiency of a plankton pumpdesigned to operate from a moving research vessel. The samplingefficiency of the pump was evaluated by comparing the catchper unit volume of several planktonic taxa sampled simultaneouslywith the pump and with a modified Gulf V plankton sampler ora tube sampler. The estimates of plankton density obtained withthe pump sampler corresponded well with those obtained withthe modified plankton net and tube sampler. We conclude thatthe use of a plankton pump in zooplankton sampling gives resultscomparable to those found with traditional sampling, exceptthat the results were biased for the sampling of rotifers andcopepod eggs.