Zooplankton counts from bongo net hauls in the Gulf of Alaska 2004

Bongo net tows occurred along the coastal waters of the Gulf of Alaska from 19 October to 8 November 2004. Transects sampled during the survey were perpendicular to shore and extended from nearshore across the continental shelf to oceanic waters beyond the 200-m shelf break. The survey was conducted aboard the contract fishing vessel F/V Great Pacific during 2004. Zooplankton samples were collected using bongo nets with mesh sizes of 335 and 505 microns that were towed obliquely relative to the surface to a depth of 20 meters. The volume of water filtered by the net was estimated using flow meters. Plankton samples were transferred into vials, preserved in 5% formalin onboard the ship, and stored until a laboratory analysis was completed.