Sampling Protocols for Inland Seas Education Association Fish Sample Equipment: Otter Trawl, 16-foot head rope Trawl Speed: 3 miles per hour Duration: 10 minutes 1. Students drop the cod end float and the net over the side of the ship. 2. Crew drops the chain and floats at the mouth of the net 3. Crew launches the otter doors, steering them so as to ensure that the doors open fully. 4. Trawl for 10 minutes. 5. Students haul the trawl back on-board. 6. The entire sample is dumped into a large tub. 7. The fish are placed into small aquariums and then transferred to the large aquarium at the fish station. 8. The students, with the use of an ISEA fish key, key the fish out. The trained ISEA fish instructor oversees the identification. 9. The fish instructor counts each of the fish and reports the results to the lead instructor. 10. The lead instructor records the information of the trip’s data sheet. Bottom Water Sample Equipment: Van Dorn bottle, 1 to 2 L volume Note: A marked line (5-foot increments) measures the depth of the sample. 1. Students lower the Van Dorn bottle to the desired depth. 2. The messenger is sent down the line to trip the Van Dorn bottle. 3. The sample is brought up to the ship. 4. A pH sample bottle is filled (100 mL). 5. A DO sample bottle is filled (100 mL). 6. A Manganous sulfate is added to the DO sample. 7. An alkaline iodine azide is added to the DO sample. 8. The bottles are passed off to the water chemistry instructor, who adds the sulfamic acid. 9. A Winkler titration is performed to determine the DO concentration. 10. Phenol red and pH color cubes are used to determine the pH of the sample. 11. The water chemistry instructor takes an average of the pH and DO concentration and reports the results to the lead instructor. 12. The lead instructor records the information of the trip’s data sheet. Plankton Sample Equipment: Plankton Net Net Diameter: 20 inches Mesh Size: 153 micrometers Volume Filtered: 16 gallons per vertical foot 1. The students lower the plankton net to the desired depth. 2. The students haul the net back up to the surface. 3. The outside of the net is sprayed down with surface water. 4. The dolphin bucket is dumped into the sample cup. 5. Students measure relative abundance by looking at a few droplets under the microscope. 6. The plankton instructor keeps track of the organisms that are discovered and reports the results to the lead instructor. 7. The lead instructor records the information on the trip’s data sheet. Sediment Sample Equipment: PONAR Dredge Sample Area: 0.25 square feet Total number of samples: 2 1. The students lower the dredge to the bottom. 2. The students haul the dredge back up to the surface. 3. Repeat steps 1 and 2 for second sample. 4. Students wash the sediment through a screen, collecting any organisms. 5. Students quantify the organisms in the sediment, with the benthos instructor keeping the final count. 6. Students determine relative abundance of plant types and living organisms in the plants. 7. The benthos instructor keeps track of all the organisms discovered and reports the results to the lead instructor. 8. The lead instructor records the information on the trip’s data sheet.