Zooplankton and ichthyoplankton data collected aboard R/V Point Sur cruise PS17_02 (PTS03) in the northern Gulf of Mexico from 2016-07-24 to 2016-07-30

This dataset contains zooplankton and ichthyoplankton data collected aboard R/V Point Sur cruise PS17_02 (PTS03) in the northern Gulf of Mexico from 2016-07-24 to 2016-07-30. Depth-discrete and surface plankton samples were collected using a Bedford Institute of Oceanography Net Environmental Sampling System (BIONESS). The BIONESS (0.25 m2 opening), a depth-discrete sampler, was fitted with six 333-µm mesh nets and three 202-µm mesh nets. Biological samples were collected generally between the 15 and 40 m depth contours between the Chandeleur Islands and the Alabama/Florida border to assess the horizontal and vertical distribution, species composition, and abundance of zooplankton and ichthyoplankton under variable freshwater discharge and low dissolved oxygen conditions characteristic of the summer. Other related station data (e.g., sampling time, station locations, oceanographic observations, etc.), net data (e.g., depth bins), and CTD profiles (temperature, salinity, depth) for BIONESS tows collected during the same cruise are available under GRIIDC Unique Dataset Identifier (UDI): R4.x260.000:0003 (DOI: 10.7266/N74T6GQD).