This sampling and analysis plan (SAP) presents the extension of KC’s marine ambient monitoring program to include regular (monthly to semi-monthly) sampling and taxonomic analysis of zooplankton in the Central Basin of Puget Sound. This addition, begun in 2014, is a partnership with Julie Keister at the University of Washington (UW) and will contribute to the Salish Sea Marine Survival Project (SSMSP) headed by Long Live the Kings (LLTK). A grant from SSMSP funds a portion of the program for two sampling years (2014-2015). After SSMSP funding ends, KC will continue zooplankton sampling in collaboration with UW.

The current lack of zooplankton abundance and community composition data in the Puget Sound has been identified by PSEMP and SSMSP as a substantial gap in long-term monitoring in Puget Sound. KC’s zooplankton program is part of a regional effort to increase monitoring of important biological parameters, and resulting data will be made available to many users in multiple capacities. This document includes background information, program objectives, sampling design, sample collection and analysis protocols, and data management procedures for this program.