Cod-End Aquarium
To capture large zooplankton, scientists use the Cod-End Aquarium, a modified version of a trawl. This net system allows for the capture of intact live organisms from deep water. It is a trawl net with a large compartment at the end that seals off, capturing the collected organisms and holding them secured in an aquarium-like container equipped with an internal video camera. This overcomes the shortfalls of traditional collection techniques of deep-sea organisms, especially the damage and destruction due to rough
handling in nets and the pressure change from deep water.
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A Cod-End Aquarium on the deck of the Norwegian R/V, G.O. SARS.
(Mid-Atlantic Ridge Ecosystems - MAR-ECO. Jaime Alvarez) |
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A Cod-End Aquarium being retrieved after a tow in the North Atlantic.
(Mid-Atlantic Ridge Ecosystems - MAR-ECO. Tracey Sutton) |
Click on the link below to see what Census projects use this technology:
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