FOCI Standard Operating Instructions
January 2002
3.2.6 CalVET Net Tows - California Cooperative Oceanic Fisheries
Investigation (CalCOFI) Vertical Egg Tow (CalVET) net tows to collect microzooplankton
and free-floating copepod eggs will be conducted, sometimes in conjunction
with Conductivity, Temperature, and Depth (CTD) profiler and Niskin water
bottle casts. Scientists will require the assistance of the ship’s
survey technician for deploying and recovering the CalVET net. The
CalVET is clamped to the 2-layer, 3-conductor, 0.322" wire on the starboard
Markey oceanographic winch. A “book clamp” is placed on the wire
where the cod-ends hang to keep the net taut. When used with a Sea-Bird
Electronic SBE 19 SEACAT, the SEACAT is placed below the cod-ends.
The ship is requested to maintain a constant vertical wire angle during
the entire cast. After descent to the desired depth, usually 60 meters,
the net will then be retrieved at a rate of 60 meters per minute.
The samples will be washed into the cod-ends, and then preserved in 32-ounce
jars with Formalin for later analysis.
allen.macklin@noaa.gov