A portable, low-cost, multipurpose, surface–subsurface plankton sampler

This note describes a portable, low-cost, pump-based, multi-purpose, surface–subsurface, phytoplankton and zooplankton sampler. It is self-powered by a small 12 V DC battery, and is portable and ideal for use from a small boat in a river, estuary, or sea. The sampler is equipped with a very sensitive microprocessor-controlled flow sensor for precise determination of the volume of water processed by the sampler. A study was carried out to evaluate the performance of this sampler in comparison to the conventional towed plankton net. The results of this study suggest that this pump-based sampler is as efficient in collecting plankton as using conventional plankton nets, with little damage to the organisms.