A simple benthic sledge for shallow and deep-sea sampling

A sledge for sampling the infauna in the upper centimetres of soft bottom sediments and the epifauna on the sediment surface is described. The sledge is built from perforated stainless steel plates protected by heavy steel runners, measures 200 x 80 x 20 cm in outer dimensions and weighs about 80 kg, The solid construction enables it to function not only on soft sediments, but also on stony bottom. If damaged, its simple construction makes it easy to repair on board a research vessel where skilled crew are available. Sledges such as the one described have functioned well since 1974 and have been used from Faroese, Icelandic and Norwegian research vessels.