Surface zooplankton collection in 2010 and 2011 off Louisiana coast

Surface zooplankton were collected using a bongo net monthly in summer of 2010 and 2011 to observe community composition in an oil spill and non oil spill year. Zooplankton collection occurred in the northern Gulf of Mexico 15-80 km miles offshore spanning the width of Louisiana. The oil spill began in April and the first collection occurred in June of the same year. Sampling was performed from June-October in 2010 and July-September in 2011. In total we completed 267 surface tows targeting mesozooplankton (0.2-20mm) using a 0.5 m bongo net with 250 μm mesh.