manta net

Two tools come in handy when you are plankton sampling; the Neuston net and the Bongo net. The Neuston net, also commonly known as the manta net due to its shape like a manta ray, samples the very surface layer of the ocean, also known as the neuston layer. After a neuston tow, the tiny organisms caught at the cod end of the net are put into a sieve where organisms such as crab megalopae (crab larvae), larval fish, and Velella (colonial jellyfish found only in the neuston) are frozen for later analysis in the lab

Neuston and Bongo Plankton Nets 2025