Sampling of Nekton and Associated Plants

The motor was turned off once the boat approached the sampling site to minimize site disturbance prior to sampling. The boat drifted or was slowly guided to the sampling site by pushing from the stern. One person in the boat released the drop trap from the bow. Immediately after drop trap deployment, field personnel pushed the trap approximately 15 cm into the sediment to obtain a proper seal along the bottom of the trap to prevent escape of organisms and trap blow-out. If the sample was taken in a marsh, vascular plants enclosed in the sampler were clipped at ground level to assist in animal retrieval. Vegetation was placed in plastic bags, returned to the laboratory, identified, and recorded to the lowest possible taxon.