Zooplankton surveys of Malakula Island, Vanuatu

Created 24/06/2025

Updated 24/06/2025

A cursory overview of the zooplankton in the vicinity of Malakula Island, Vanuatu was undertaken, based on six samples collected in March 1988. Samples were collected from inner, mid and outer Port Sandwich (Lamap), Sakao and Vulai Islands in the Maskelyne Group and from Akhamb Island.Samples were collected using vertical hauls of a 0.5m diameter, 200µm plankton net. Copepods were the most abundant taxon and were identified at least to Genus. Samples were scored for relative abundance into 3 categories: A, Abundant; C, Common; R, Rare. Zooplankton were collected to gain an overview of the species composition of communities from oceanic and sheltered environments. Concurrent samples were retained in liquid nitrogen for subsequent electrophoresis. This research was a component of a survey of Vanuatu marine resources conducted in March/April 1988 and was funded by the Australian International Development Assistance Bureau.The objectives of the survey were:1. to survey and describe the shallow water reef habitats from selected islands of Vanuatu, adequately covering geographical and environmental variation2. to survey and describe the marine habitats around the shores of Malakula, including offshore islands3. to derive a coastal management plan for Malakula and offshore islands which can serve as a basis for Coastal Zone Management plans for the rest of the country4. to train Ni-Vanuatu personnel in marine survey and marine conservation methods

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Additional Info

Field Value
Title Zooplankton surveys of Malakula Island, Vanuatu
Language eng
Licence Not Specified
Landing Page https://data.gov.au/data/dataset/b70ab533-c3ba-4a42-9877-4a443f068e80
Contact Point
Australian Ocean Data Network
reception@aims.gov.au
Reference Period 20/11/2017
Geospatial Coverage
Map data © OpenStreetMap contributors
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  "type": "Polygon"
}
Data Portal Australian Oceans Data Network

Data Source

This dataset was originally found on Australian Oceans Data Network "Zooplankton surveys of Malakula Island, Vanuatu". Please visit the source to access the original metadata of the dataset:
https://catalogue.aodn.org.au/geonetwork/srv/eng/csw/dataset/zooplankton-surveys-of-malakula-island-vanuatu1