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Census of Marine Life, Census of Coral Reefs Expedition to French Frigate Shoals (October 2006)

Yabbie Pump

Lead Scientist: Joel Martin
Target Habitats: Lagoonal sands and Intertidal shores, La Perouse, Arc shell reefs, Acropora areas
Target Organisms: Infauna and burrowing epifauana

Description:
The yabbie pump, used in burrows, is a simple stainless steel suction device that is hand operated and used to extract burrowing organisms along with their commensals. It consists of an external steel cylinder approximately 1 meter in length, within which is a long steel rod with a plunger on the downstream end that seals against the sides of the cylinder with a rubber gasket. When the opening of the cylinder is placed against the opening of burrow, the operator pulls the handle of the plunger rapidly upward, creating a suction that removes the contents of the burrow. The contents (including mud and sand) are then pushed back out by the plunger into a sieve for examination (Hailstone 1962; Manning 1975; Manning & Felder 1986).

Crab image by Joel Martin, LA County Natural History Museum

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