<p>Hydrographic Institute campaigns in collaboration with the Marine Biology Station (predecessor of INIP, IPIMAR, and IPMA) of the CAPEC program (1970s).</p>

This report presents the results of the fifth research cruise in the waters off Guiné-Bissau coast from 7 May to 5 July 1995, on board of the Portuguese RV “Capricórnio”. 33 plankton surveys using a FAO net were carried on.

Larvae of decapods off Portuguese coast from 1986 to 1994

The objective of this data collection was to study the structure of the mesopelagic ecosistem off the Northwestern Portuguese coast which is composed by planktonic and nectonics organisms. Mesopelagic organisms live during the day concentrating in big numbers in deeper depths while during the night migrates towards the upper layers. The data was collected aiming to study the composition and the Dynamics of the mesopelagic community and their trophic relations with the fish in the area. Data was collected with an Isaac-Kidd midwater trawl in May 1998 and 2000 and February 1999, together with environmental parameters as temperature, salinity, etc.

The objective of this data collection was to collect plankton samples to allow the analysis of the spatial and temporal distribution of decapod larvae in the water column in the south and southwestern Portuguese coast and to assess its correlations with environmental parameters.

The objective of this data collection was to analise the daily vertical migration of decapod larvae in the water column in the northwestern portuguese coast and to assess its correlations with environmental parameteres. In order to do this plankton samples were collected with Bongo nets, LHPR multisampler and Neuston net in a area between the north western Portuguese coast and the 10 °W and between the 40° and 42°N and, aditionally at a fixed location during a 67 hours period, every two hours. In the fixed sampling point a plankton trap was also deployed. The data set presented corresponds to the zooplankton analysed in all the samples taken. This work is part of the ProRecruit project, which aimed to describe the spatial and temporal variability of the recruitment of coastal invertebrate species that show a planktonic larvar phase in their lifecylce, and understand the impact of environmental variables which may control its supply to the coastal systems.

A macrozoobenthos species list is provided, based on datasets originated from infra and upper circalittoral samples (10 to 53 m depth) collected in the soft sediment bottom off Sines within the marine area of the Southwest Alentejo and Vicentine Coast Natural Park (SW Portugal). Species composition and abundance per sampling station are provided.

Plankton Production season off Portuguese coast from 1986 to 1987

The dataset provides a quantitative list of the macrozoobenthic taxa collected in the infra and circalittoral sandy bottom off Ericeira (central Portugal) in May 2001. The fauna was identified to species or family level. The aim was to characterize the macrozoobenthic composition of sandy sediments potentially suitable for beach nourishment, in order to assess the environmental impact of the dredging operations on the benthic communities.

The parameters that were considered as being able to give indications about the state of zooplanktonic populations were the abundance (biovolume) and the specific and population structures of the epi- (living in the 0 to 150 meters deep) and mesoplanktonic (living in the layer from 150 to 1000 meters deep). The abundance (biovolume) as well as the specific and population structures of epi- (living in 0 to 150 meter depth) and mesoplanktonic (living in 150 to 1000 meter depth) communities were used to assess the condition of zooplanktonic populations.