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Document ID ca-bc-fbsm-1997 Title Freshwater Biological Sampling Manual URL https://www2.gov.bc.ca/assets/gov/environment/natural-resource-stewardship/nr-laws-policy/risc/freshwaterbio.pdf Jurisdiction /ca/bc Subdomain(s) Monitoring & analytical methods Language en Status completed Analyzed at 2026-03-15 06:17:27.102545+00:00 Relevance Authoritative technical manual for biological sampling and measurement methods.

60 Qualitative 60 Quantitative 36 Definitions

Q Qualitative Requirements (60)

Req ID	Category	Intent	Legal Status	Name	Subdomain(s)	Context	Conditions	Confidence
#Q001	reporting	reporting	mandatory	Station Location Documentation	aquatic life, other	Therefore, accurate station location descriptions (that identify key landmarks) must be prepared on the first visit to every sampling site.	On the first visit to every sampling site	high
#Q002	administrative	reporting	mandatory	Site Referencing by Watershed Code	aquatic life, other	It is essential that each site be referenced by watershed code.		high
#Q003	reporting	reporting	mandatory	Field Log Book Requirement	aquatic life, other	A field log book (3-ring binder with waterproof paper) for each project is mandatory.	For each project	high
#Q004	operational	operational	mandatory	Container Cleaning and Certification	aquatic life, other	Sample containers, new or used, must be cleaned according to the recommended methods and certified by the issuing laboratory as 'contamination free' (if pre-cleaned by the laboratory).		high
#Q005	operational	operational	mandatory	Pre-cleaned Bottle Caps	aquatic life, other	Pre-cleaned bottles must be supplied with caps attached.		high
#Q006	prohibition	operational	mandatory	Sample Bottle Contact Prohibition	aquatic life, other	The inner portion of sample bottles and caps must not be touched with anything (e.g., bare hands, gloves, etc.) other than the sample itself.		high
#Q007	operational	operational	mandatory	Sample Container Capping	aquatic life, other	Bottles must be capped at all times and stored in clean shipping coolers both before and after the collection of the sample.		high
#Q008	corrective_action	operational	mandatory	Removal of Spills and Drippings	aquatic life, other	Spills or drippings (which are apt to occur in boats) must be removed immediately.	During sampling operations on boats	high
#Q009	prohibition	operational	mandatory	Sample Cooling Maintenance	aquatic life, other	Samples must never be permitted to get warm; they should be stored in a cool place.		high
#Q010	prohibition	operational	mandatory	Sample Freezing Prohibition	aquatic life, other	Conversely, samples must not be permitted to freeze unless freezing is part of the preservation protocol.	Unless freezing is part of preservation protocol	high
#Q011	operational	operational	mandatory	Sample Shipping Deadline	aquatic life, other	Samples must be shipped to the laboratory without delay so that they arrive within 24 hours of sampling.		high
#Q012	operational	operational	mandatory	Sample Hold Times Compliance	aquatic life, other	Samples must be analyzed within the time limits set out in Appendix 2 of this chapter.		high
#Q013	monitoring	operational	mandatory	Replicate and Reference Samples Requirements	aquatic life, other	In addition to standardized field procedures for biological sampling, field quality control requires, at the very minimum, the submission of replicate samples for all variables and reference samples for macro-invertebrate and fish tissue samples.	As part of field quality control	high
#Q014	operational	operational	mandatory	Boat Operation Safety Minimums	aquatic life, other	The collection of deep water samples requires that at least one member of the sampling group be very familiar with boat operation and safety.	During collection of deep water samples using boats	high
#Q015	operational	operational	mandatory	Bacteriological Samples Cooling	aquatic life, other	All bacteriological samples must be cooled (to 4°C) as soon as they are collected and must be shipped to the lab as soon as possible.	Immediately following collection	high
#Q016	operational	operational	mandatory	Shore Wading Contamination Prevention	aquatic life, other	To avoid contamination from suspended sediments, the sample collector must wade out past the point where wave action affects the lake bottom.	When collecting shore samples	high
#Q017	operational	operational	mandatory	Boat Counterbalance	aquatic life, other	Ensure that the person in the stern is providing counterbalance (working over the opposite side of the boat).	When reaching out to take a surface sample at deep stations	high
#Q018	design	operational	mandatory	Horizontal Van Dorn Configurations	aquatic life, other	Horizontal configurations are mandatory for very shallow lakes.	When sampling very shallow lakes	high
#Q019	reporting	reporting	mandatory	Zooplankton Net Tow Metrics Recording	aquatic life, other	Note: The actual distance that the net travels through the water must be recorded and the total volume of water that passes through the net must be calculated (see Figure 3).	During vertical tow operations	high
#Q020	operational	operational	mandatory	Plankton Net Cross-Contamination Washing	aquatic life, other	Wash the net by rinsing (pulling it through the water without the codend). This is an absolute necessity before proceeding to the next sample site (particularly between lakes).	Before proceeding to the next sample site	high
#Q021	corrective_action	operational	mandatory	Grab Sampler Incomplete Closure Rejection	aquatic life, other	Note: If the jaws were not closed completely, the sample must be discarded.	If the jaws of the grab sampler are not completely closed	high
#Q022	reporting	reporting	mandatory	Sediment Appearance Recording	aquatic life, other	Immediately record (in the field log book) observations regarding the appearance of the sediment (i.e., texture, colour, odour, presence of biota, presence of detritus).	Upon emptying grab sample into the sieve	high
#Q023	prohibition	operational	mandatory	Plant Specimen Desiccation Prevention	aquatic life, other	Do not leave them out in the sun even briefly as they will wither very quickly and become useless as specimens.	When storing specimens prior to mounting	high
#Q024	prohibition	reporting	mandatory	Herbarium Label Area Prohibition	aquatic life, other	Note: Do not cover the label area in the bottom right corner.	When mounting specimens on card stock	high
#Q025	administrative	reporting	mandatory	Specimen Herbarium Submission	aquatic life, other	These specimens must be submitted to a herbarium where they will be identified to species and stored for future reference.		high
#Q026	prohibition	operational	mandatory	Plant Mounting Lake Cross-Contamination	aquatic life, other	Note: Do not take plants to a different lake to float them onto the card stock; you risk spreading weeds from lake to lake .	When mounting flaccid/non-rigid aquatic plants	high
#Q027	prohibition	operational	mandatory	Tissue Sample Submergence	aquatic life, other	Collect entire specimens and keep them submerged and covered until they can be processed (plants should never be allowed to desiccate).	Prior to processing samples for tissue analysis	high
#Q028	operational	operational	mandatory	Tissue Analysis Quantity and Container	aquatic life, other	Ensure each is fully labeled. Ensure the quantity of tissue and the type of container are appropriate for the analysis that will be conducted (see Appendix 2 of this chapter).		high
#Q029	operational	operational	mandatory	Dry Ice Handling Safety	aquatic life, other	Always wear gloves when handling dry ice.	When shipping frozen samples	high
#Q030	prohibition	operational	mandatory	River Wading Safety Hazard	aquatic life, other	The most important issue to consider when deciding where the sample should be collected from is SAFETY. ...discretion is the key never wade into water that appears deep or fast flowing .	When assessing stream wading for bacteriological sampling	high
#Q031	reporting	reporting	mandatory	Periphyton Disc Count Recording	aquatic life, other	Always record the total number of discs collected .	When collecting periphyton from natural substrate	high
#Q032	operational	operational	mandatory	Periphyton Taxonomy Preservative	aquatic life, other	If the samples are to be analyzed for taxonomy (only two or three discs are required), then the sample must be preserved with Lugol's solution.	If samples are collected for taxonomic analysis	high
#Q033	operational	operational	mandatory	Shipping Schedule Logistics	aquatic life, other	The day's sampling schedule must be designed to ensure that the samples arrive at the shipping agency's terminal well before the end of business hours.		high
#Q034	operational	operational	mandatory	Shipping Delay Prevention	aquatic life, other	Since some variables have very limited hold times (Appendices 2 and 3 ), every effort must be made to avoid delays in shipping.		high
#Q035	operational	operational	mandatory	Glass Container Protection in Transit	aquatic life, other	Ensure that the glass containers are separated from each other by ice packs, plastic bottles or clean packing material to prevent them from shifting, falling over and/or breaking.	When packing samples for shipment	high
#Q036	reporting	reporting	recommended	Field Measurement Recording	aquatic life, other	All field measurements (DO, temperature, conductivity, etc.) should be entered (by date) directly into this field log book.		high
#Q037	reporting	reporting	recommended	Log Book Initialing and Data Entry	aquatic life, other	All information recorded in the log book should be initialed by the data recorder and entered into the database as soon as possible upon return from the field.	Upon return from the field	high
#Q038	operational	operational	recommended	Recommended Sample Container Usage	aquatic life, other	Only the recommended type of sample container for each analysis should be used.		high
#Q039	operational	operational	recommended	Collector Hygiene and Prohibitions	aquatic life, other	The sample collectors should keep their hands clean and refrain from smoking or eating while working with biological samples.	While working with biological samples	high
#Q040	monitoring	operational	recommended	Reference Sample Submission	aquatic life, other	These reference samples should be submitted to the analyzing laboratory along with the samples collected during a field trip.	During field trip submissions	high
#Q041	operational	operational	mandatory	Cooler Sealing and Tamper Prevention	aquatic life, other	Seal the cooler with heavy duty packing tape to reduce the possibility of it accidentally opening and to prevent tampering with the samples.	During shipping/transit preparation	high
#Q042	reporting	reporting	mandatory	Taxonomic Sample Metadata Requirements	aquatic life, other	The following is the basic information which must accompany samples: Collection site (gazetted name, preferably with latitude and longitude and the sample site number), Collection date (using the Y/M/D convention written as "1999 June 12" not 99/06/12!!), Sampler's name, Collection method and details (e.g., net mouth size).	For taxonomic samples	high
#Q043	operational	operational	mandatory	Certified Contamination-Free Preservatives	aquatic life, other	Use only certified contamination free preservatives.		high
#Q044	operational	operational	mandatory	Sample Container Storage Hygiene	aquatic life, other	Sample containers must be kept in a clean environment, away from dust, dirt, fumes and grime.		high
#Q045	operational	operational	mandatory	Benthic Net Post-Sampling Cleaning	aquatic life, other	Rinse sample net after each use.	After using Surber or Hess samplers	high
#Q046	operational	operational	mandatory	Shipping Ice Volume Ratios	aquatic life, other	Pack the samples upright in the cooler with at least 1 (winter) to 2 (spring, summer, fall) times as much ice as the total volume of the samples.	During sample shipment	high
#Q047	operational	operational	recommended	Bow Personnel Sample Collection Responsibility	aquatic life, other	The person at the bow (front) should always collect the samples.	When collecting surface samples from a boat at deep stations	high
#Q048	reporting	reporting	mandatory	Site Identification Map and Log Book	aquatic life, other	As well, a map that labels the sample sites should accompany the site identification log book .	As part of site location documentation	high
#Q049	operational	operational	mandatory	Taxa Verification by Experts	aquatic life, other	As part of the lab taxonomic identification process, verification of taxa by recognized experts should be routine.	During taxonomic identification	high
#Q050	operational	operational	mandatory	Voucher Specimen Retention	aquatic life, other	Voucher specimens should be retained for future reference and reverification.	For taxonomic samples	high
#Q051	operational	operational	mandatory	Van Dorn Drain Valve Flushing	aquatic life, other	Flush the drain valve with some of the sample water so as to reduce the possibility that bacteria from previous sample sites will contaminate the current sample.	When taking deep samples with a Van Dorn sampler	high
#Q052	operational	operational	mandatory	Pre-cleaned Bottle Storage	other	Always label and store pre-cleaned bottles in plastic bags to avoid confusion and contamination during transport.	During transport	high
#Q053	reporting	operational	recommended	Internal Wet Sample Labels	other	Labels inside bottles filled with wet samples should be written with pencil on paper labels designed for this use.	For wet samples	high
#Q054	operational	operational	recommended	Voucher Specimen Storage Standards	other	Voucher material should be stored using museum standards for preservation. At present, this is 125 mL Flint glass jars with wide mouth, plastic caps with a plastic gasket and liner.	For taxonomic voucher material	high
#Q055	monitoring	operational	recommended	Reference Sample Masking	other	They should be transferred to a regular sample container and labeled with plausible site names and numbers (the codes used for identification must be documented in the field log book).	When submitting reference samples to laboratory	high
#Q056	reporting	reporting	recommended	Protocol Deviation Documentation	other	When conditions dictate that the sample be taken from the stream bank, deviations from the standard protocol should be accurately documented in the field log book and transferred to the database as soon as possible.	When sampling from stream bank instead of mid-stream	high
#Q057	operational	operational	recommended	Ice Pack Preference	other	Ice packs should be used as opposed to loose ice or bagged ice.	During sample shipping	high
#Q058	reporting	reporting	mandatory	Laboratory Requisition Protection	other	Complete the laboratory requisition forms, enclose them in a sealed plastic bag, and place them in the cooler on top of the samples.	During shipping preparation	high
#Q059	operational	unknown	recommended	Shore Sampling Safety Depth	other	The sampler should not exceed a depth where there exists a reasonable possibility that water might unexpectedly enter the gum-boot or hip-wader.	During shore bacteriological sampling	high
#Q060	operational	operational	recommended	Core Sectioning Timing	other	It is preferable to section the core as soon as possible after it is retrieved.	After core retrieval	high

P Quantitative Requirements (60)

Req ID	Category	Intent	Legal Status	Name	Subdomain(s)	Limit Type	Limit Value	Context	Conditions	Confidence
#P001	operational	operational	mandatory	Biological Sample Cooling Temperature	other, aquatic life	requirement	4 °C	most samples must be cooled to 4°C during transit to the laboratory	During transit to the laboratory	high
#P002	operational	operational	mandatory	Maximum Transit Time to Laboratory	other, aquatic life	requirement	<= 24 hours	Samples must be shipped to the laboratory without delay so that they arrive within 24 hours of sampling.	For general biological samples	high
#P003	operational	operational	mandatory	Total Coliform - Minimum Sample Size	other	requirement	250 mL	Laboratory Sample Container, Preservation, and Hold Times for Fresh Water Biological Sampling		high
#P004	operational	operational	mandatory	Total Coliform - Maximum Hold Time	other	requirement	48 h	Laboratory Sample Container, Preservation, and Hold Times for Fresh Water Biological Sampling	Keep cool, 4°C	high
#P005	operational	operational	mandatory	E. coli - Minimum Sample Size	other	requirement	250 mL	Laboratory Sample Container, Preservation, and Hold Times for Fresh Water Biological Sampling		high
#P006	operational	operational	mandatory	E. coli - Maximum Hold Time	other	requirement	48 h	Laboratory Sample Container, Preservation, and Hold Times for Fresh Water Biological Sampling	Keep cool, 4°C	high
#P007	operational	operational	mandatory	Phytoplankton - Minimum Sample Size	aquatic life	requirement	1 L	Laboratory Sample Container, Preservation, and Hold Times for Fresh Water Biological Sampling		high
#P008	operational	operational	mandatory	Phytoplankton - Maximum Hold Time	aquatic life	requirement	6 mo	Laboratory Sample Container, Preservation, and Hold Times for Fresh Water Biological Sampling		high
#P009	operational	operational	mandatory	Benthic invertebrates - Minimum Sample Size	aquatic life	requirement	500 mL	Laboratory Sample Container, Preservation, and Hold Times for Fresh Water Biological Sampling		high
#P010	operational	operational	mandatory	Benthic invertebrates - Maximum Hold Time	aquatic life	requirement	6 mo	Laboratory Sample Container, Preservation, and Hold Times for Fresh Water Biological Sampling		high
#P011	operational	operational	mandatory	Fecal Coliforms - Minimum Sample Size	other	requirement	250 mL	Laboratory Sample Container, Preservation, and Hold Times for Fresh Water Biological Sampling	Container: P, Ster	high
#P012	operational	operational	mandatory	Periphyton - Minimum Sample Size	aquatic life	requirement	250 mL	Laboratory Sample Container, Preservation, and Hold Times for Fresh Water Biological Sampling	Container: P	high
#P013	operational	operational	mandatory	Periphyton - Maximum Hold Time	aquatic life	requirement	6 mo	Laboratory Sample Container, Preservation, and Hold Times for Fresh Water Biological Sampling		high
#P014	operational	operational	mandatory	Zooplankton - Minimum Sample Size	aquatic life	requirement	250 mL	Laboratory Sample Container, Preservation, and Hold Times for Fresh Water Biological Sampling	Container: P	high
#P015	operational	operational	mandatory	Zooplankton - Maximum Hold Time	aquatic life	requirement	6 mo	Laboratory Sample Container, Preservation, and Hold Times for Fresh Water Biological Sampling		high
#P016	chemical	reporting	mandatory	Sediments Metals - Maximum Hold Time	other	requirement	72 h	Lab Sample Container, Preservation, and Hold Times for Sediments and Tissues	keep cool, 4°C	high
#P017	operational	operational	mandatory	Maximum Zooplankton Tow Speed	aquatic life	requirement	<= 1 m/s	vertical tow procedure	long net hauls with a davit/winch	high
#P018	design	operational	recommended	Benthic Macro-invertebrate Recommended Mesh Size	aquatic life	requirement	210 µm	Natural Substrate sampling	most samples	high
#P019	operational	operational	mandatory	Bacterial Sample Air Space	drinking water, other	requirement	2.5 - 5 cm	Pour out enough water to provide 2.5 - 5 cm air space above the sample.	During sample collection to allow for mixing	high
#P020	operational	operational	guidance	Standard Surface Sampling Depth	other	requirement	0.1, 0.5 m	two frequently used depth for surface samples are 0.1 m and 0.5 m	Standardized surface water grab sampling	high
#P021	design	operational	recommended	Zooplankton Net Mouth Diameter	aquatic life	requirement	20 cm	The preferred net mesh, when appropriate, is 64 µm with a net mouth diameter of 20 cm.	Standard zooplankton sampling in BC Environment projects	high
#P022	operational	operational	guidance	Sediment Grab Sieve Mesh Size	aquatic life	requirement	0.20 mm	The size of the sieve mesh will depend on the purpose of the study, but a common mesh size is 0.20 mm (200 µm).	Practical lower limit for general study of benthic organisms	high
#P023	operational	operational	recommended	Macrophyte Drying Temperature	other	requirement	40 °C	the plant presses may be dried in a proper plant drier or a forced draft oven at 40°C.	When drying plant samples for taxonomy	high
#P024	design	operational	recommended	Surber Sampler Depth Limit	aquatic life	requirement	<= 30 cm	The sampler is intended for use in shallow (30 cm or less) flowing waters.	Shallow stream macro-invertebrate sampling	high
#P025	operational	operational	recommended	Benthic Macro-invertebrate Sampling Time	aquatic life	requirement	5 minutes	In order to maintain comparability between stations, a limit on time spent on handling and rubbing the substrate should be set (5 minutes recommended).	Standardized effort for Surber or Hess sampling	high
#P026	operational	operational	recommended	Artificial Substrate Incubation Time	aquatic life	requirement	6 - 10 weeks	Long incubation/exposure times (6-10 weeks)	Colonization period for artificial substrate samplers	high
#P027	design	operational	guidance	Basket Sampler Gravel Diameter	aquatic life	requirement	2.5 to 7.5 cm	filling the basket... with gravel (2.5 to 7.5 cm diameter)	Assembly of barbecue basket artificial substrate	high
#P028	chemical	reporting	mandatory	Sediment Organics - Volatile Maximum Hold Time	other	requirement	14 d	Organics - Volatile hold time in sediments/tissues	freeze (dry ice)	high
#P029	microbiological	health	mandatory	Enterococci Maximum Hold Time	other	requirement	48 h	Laboratory Sample Container, Preservation, and Hold Times for Fresh Water Biological Sampling	keep cool, 4°C	high
#P030	operational	operational	mandatory	Periphyton Preservative Concentration	aquatic life	requirement	>= 1 mL / 250 mL	Use at least 1 mL of Lugol's per 250 mL of sample	For taxonomic periphyton samples; more needed with heavy biomass	high
#P031	chemical	reporting	mandatory	Sediment General Chemistry - Minimum Sample Size	other	requirement	200 g	Laboratory sample container, preservation, and hold times for sediments and tissues	Container: P, W	high
#P032	chemical	reporting	mandatory	Sediment General Chemistry - Maximum Hold Time	other	requirement	72 h	Laboratory sample container, preservation, and hold times for sediments and tissues	keep cool, 4°C	high
#P033	operational	operational	mandatory	Zooplankton Ethanol Preservation Ratio	aquatic life	requirement	70:30 mL ethanol : mL sample	Preserve the sample with 70% ethanol (70mL of 100% ethanol for each 30 mL of sample volume)	Sample preservation for shipping	high
#P034	operational	operational	mandatory	Benthic Substrate Stirring Depth	aquatic life	requirement	5 to 10 cm	Stir remaining gravel with your hands to a depth of 5 to 10 cm.	Manual substrate disturbance for Surber/Hess sampling	high
#P035	design	operational	mandatory	Periphyton Filter Pore Size	aquatic life	requirement	0.45 or 1.0 µm	filtering the sample onto a membrane filter (0.45 or 1.0 μ pore size)	Preparation for chlorophyll biomass analysis	high
#P036	operational	operational	mandatory	Shipping Ice to Sample Volume Ratio	other	requirement	1 to 2 times total volume	at least 1 (winter) to 2 (spring, summer, fall) times as much ice as the total volume of the samples	Cooler packing for transit	high
#P037	chemical	reporting	mandatory	Sediment Organic Carbon - Minimum Sample Size	other	requirement	100 g	Laboratory sample container, preservation, and hold times for sediments and tissues	Container: P or G	high
#P038	chemical	reporting	mandatory	Sediment EOX - Maximum Hold Time	other	requirement	6 mo	EOX, Extractable Organic Halides hold time	freeze (dry ice)	high
#P039	microbiological	health	mandatory	Fecal Streptococci - Maximum Hold Time	other	requirement	48 h	Laboratory Sample Container, Preservation, and Hold Times for Fresh Water Biological Sampling	keep cool, 4°C	high
#P040	operational	operational	guidance	Benthic Macro-invertebrate Preliminary Sieve Size	aquatic life	requirement	500 µm	It may be appropriate to collect the samples using a 210 µm mesh size but to do a preliminary sieving at 500µ.	Natural Substrate sampling processing	high
#P041	chemical	reporting	mandatory	Sediment Organics - Semivolatile Maximum Hold Time	other	requirement	6 mo	Laboratory sample container, preservation, and hold times for sediments and tissues	freeze (dry ice)	high
#P042	physical	reporting	mandatory	Sediment Particle Size Analysis - Maximum Hold Time	other	requirement	72 h	Laboratory sample container, preservation, and hold times for sediments and tissues	keep cool, 4°C	high
#P043	operational	operational	mandatory	Zooplankton Standard Tow Speed	aquatic life	requirement	0.5 m/s	In smaller lakes, haul the net hand over hand with a steady, unhurried motion at a rate of 0.5 m/s.	Manual vertical tows in smaller lakes	high
#P044	operational	operational	mandatory	Periphyton Minimum Discs Per Rock	aquatic life	requirement	>= 5 discs	If algal density is low or patchy, collect at least five discs from each rock.	Low or patchy algal density	high
#P045	operational	operational	mandatory	Periphyton Minimum Rocks Per Site	aquatic life	requirement	>= 5 rocks	ensure that you use at least five rocks to characterize the periphyton at the site	High or homogeneous algal density	high
#P046	operational	operational	mandatory	Benthic Stream Composite Patches	aquatic life	requirement	5 patches	Continue this process until five patches of stream bottom have been sampled, each upstream from the last.	Standard composite for Surber or Hess samplers	high
#P047	chemical	reporting	mandatory	Sediment PQ-8 Minimum Sample Size	other	requirement	100 g	PQ-8 (copper 8, copper quinolate) sediment analysis requirements	Container: G (A), W, Solv	high
#P048	chemical	reporting	mandatory	Sediment PQ-8 Maximum Hold Time	other	requirement	6 mo	PQ-8 (copper 8, copper quinolate) sediment analysis requirements	freeze (dry ice)	high
#P049	chemical	reporting	mandatory	Sediment Metals Minimum Sample Size	other	requirement	100 g	Metals analysis for sediments and tissues	Container: P, W (T)	high
#P050	chemical	reporting	mandatory	Sediment EOX Minimum Sample Size	other	requirement	50 g	EOX, Extractable Organic Halides sediment analysis requirements	Container: G, Solv, Fc	high
#P051	chemical	reporting	mandatory	Sediment Semivolatile Organics Minimum Sample Size	other	requirement	200 g	Organics - Semivolatile sediment analysis requirements	Container: G, A, W, Solv	high
#P052	chemical	reporting	mandatory	Sediment Volatile Organics Minimum Sample Size	other	requirement	50 g	Organics - Volatile sediment analysis requirements	Container: G, W, Solv, B	high
#P053	chemical	reporting	mandatory	Sediment Nutrient Hold Time	other	requirement	72 h	Ammonia, TKN, Nitrate, Nitrite analysis for sediments and tissues		high
#P054	chemical	reporting	mandatory	Sediment Phosphorus Hold Time	other	requirement	72 h	Portho, total, total dissolved analysis for sediments and tissues		high
#P055	microbiological	health	mandatory	Sediment Bacteria Hold Time	other	requirement	48 h	Bacteria analysis for sediments and tissues		high
#P056	physical	reporting	mandatory	Sediment pH/Turbidity Hold Time	other	requirement	72 h	pH, Turbidity, Acidity, Alkalinity analysis for sediments and tissues		high
#P057	operational	operational	mandatory	Phytoplankton Preservative Concentration	aquatic life	requirement	1 - 3 mL / L	Different water chemistry and density of algal material require different concentration of preservative.	Sufficient to turn the sample the colour of weak tea	high
#P058	operational	operational	mandatory	Small Floating Macrophyte Preservative Ratio	aquatic life, other	requirement	70:25:5 ethanol:water:formalin	Preserve the specimens in a solution of 70% ethanol, 25% water and 5% formalin.	For small floating species such as duckweeds	high
#P059	design	operational	guidance	Zooplankton Mesh Size Range	aquatic life	requirement	64 - 256 µm	generally collected with a conical net (Figure 2) that has a specific mesh size	Dependent on the productivity of the lake and the purpose of the study	high
#P060	design	operational	recommended	Zooplankton Preferred Mesh Size	aquatic life	requirement	64 µm	The preferred net mesh, when appropriate, is 64 µm with a net mouth diameter of 20 cm.	Standard preference for BC Environment projects	high

D Definitions (36)

Req ID	Name	Context	Confidence
#D001	Split samples	Split samples are aliquots taken from the same container and assumed to be identical.	medium
#D002	Zooplankton	Zooplankton, or planktonic animals, are free floating and suspended in open or pelagic waters.	medium
#D003	Periphyton	Periphyton are defined as attached species of microflora (algae) and are primarily found on hard, immobile surfaces such as large stones (cobbles, boulders) and on aquatic plants.	high
#D004	EMS	Environmental Monitoring System	high
#D005	RIC	Resources Inventory Committee	high
#D006	field quality assurance program	a systematic process which, together with the laboratory and data storage quality assurance programs, ensures a specified degree of confidence in the data collected for an environmental survey.	high
#D007	Replicate samples	detect heterogeneity within the environment, allow the precision of the measurement process to be estimated, and provide a check on the reproducibility of the sampling.	high
#D008	Reference samples	used to document the bias of the analytical (laboratory) process.	high
#D009	cod-end	removable 'cup' at the end of the net	high
#D010	template	a piece of flexible rubber or plastic with a square or round hole cut in it to define the area to be scraped	high
#D011	disc	Each new algal patch that is scraped can be referred to as a disc.	high
#D012	Surber sampler	consists of two interlocking frames that support a capturing net.	high
#D013	Hess sampler	a metal cylinder with a screened opening on one side and an opposite opening with a net attached.	high
#D014	Drift net sampler	designed to be anchored in flowing water to capture macro-invertebrates that have migrated or have been dislodged from the bottom surfaces into the current.	high
#D015	P	plastic	high
#D016	G	glass	high
#D017	B	Baked	high
#D018	T	Tissue Cup	high
#D019	Solv	solvent cleaned	high
#D020	A	amber	high
#D021	Fc	foil lined cap	high
#D022	W	wide mouth	high
#D023	Ster	sterile	high
#D024	v	volume of water filtered through sampler	high
#D025	r	radius of net mouth	high
#D026	d	depth of net sampler at start of vertical haul	high
#D027	п	3.1416	high
#D028	AITF	Aquatic Inventory Task Force	high
#D029	basket sampler	The basket sampler is fabricated by filling the basket (available in a number of variations from hardware stores) with gravel (2.5 to 7.5 cm diameter) that is then placed in the stream bottom.	high
#D030	voucher specimens	specimens retained for future reference and reverification.	high
#D031	Surber sampler	The Surber sampler consists of two interlocking frames that support a capturing net. One frame outlines the area of stream bed to be sampled while the other supports the net.	high
#D032	Replicate samples	multiple samples (grabs, tows, or whole fish) from the same general area (to measure how well a single sample represents the community or how many samples are necessary to achieve some level of sampling confidence), or portions of a single sample (i.e., sectioned grabs - to measure more localized invertebrate heterogeneity).	high
#D033	Artificial substrates	substrates placed in the stream so they are colonized by the organisms in the stream, then removed later and the community analyzed.	high
#D034	vertical tow	The net is lowered to a particular depth and pulled directly up through the water column.	high
#D035	horizontal tow	various strata of the lake are sampled individually.	high
#D036	oblique tow	various strata of the lake are sampled as a composite.	high