A person will be assigned to work on the hero platform to help the deckhand secure and remove the sampler from the wire. The apparatus is examined to make certain that all the parts are in place. The plankton net is lowered into the water to a depth that is equal to about 2.7 times the Secchi Disk depth as measured at that sampling station and towed. The deckhand then retrieves the net and brings it on-board. The net is kept in a vertical position to avoid losing any of the plankton sample.
Water is sprayed down through the net toward the sample container.
This is done on all sides of the net to insure removal of any sample caught in the net. The water will flush the sample into the bottom sample container. The clamp holding the net to the sample container is loosened, and the container is removed from the net. The sample is then transferred from the container into a beaker for transport into the laboratory. The beaker is placed in the sink in case it spills.