Epibenthic sled

An epibenthic sled (or epibenthos sled/sledge) is an instrument designed to collect benthic and benthopelagic faunas from the deep sea. The sled is made from a steel frame consisting of two skids and stabilizing planes to keep it from sinking too deep into the mud. Attached to the frame is a 1 mm mesh net to collect the samples.^[1][2] The sled is towed along the seafloor at the sediment water interface. The device has a mechanically operated door that is closed when the sled is mid water and opens when it reaches the seafloor. When the fauna is collected, the door closes again to preserve the sample on the long trek back through the water column. The door prevents washing of the sample and loss of organisms through turbulence generated as the net is lifted out.^[3] The epibenthic sled can also be used with external sensors and cameras.

The sled is mostly used to collect epifauna, however some infauna can be gathered as well. There is an adjustable cutting bar mounted underneath the sled that can cut into the sediment but it cannot sample organisms living at depths greater than 1 to 2 cm.^[4] However, this allows the sled to get a pretty good cross section of what animals burrow because most live near the sediment water interface. Swimming (close to the sediment), crawling, burrowing, and sessile animals all are collected by the sled.^[2] The introduction of the epibenthic sled has led to a better understanding of the diversity of meiofauna to macrofauna in the deep sea and of the phylogeny and systematics of some major invertebrate groups. In addition, if samples are repeatedly taken from the same area temporal information can be gathered that may be important in understanding phenomena such as reproductive patterns in the deep sea.^[4]