CEFAS22-68 - Request for Quotation for Marine benthic macroinvertebrate sample processing: Orford Inshore 2021

This contract is for the processing of 54 sediment samples, to extract and identify all biota retained following sieving on a 1.0 mm mesh, as per the NMBAQC guidelines (http://www.nmbaqcs.org/media/1175/nmbaqc-inv-prp-v10-june2010.pdf) detailing extraction and identification protocols. In addition to this there is a requirement to ensure these data are audited as per the NMBAQC Own Samples protocol prior to submission to Cefas (Milner and Hall, 2016). http://www.nmbaqcs.org/media/1665/ownsampleprotocol_v12_ra.pdf.

Enumeration, identification and biomassing should be carried out following the NMBAQC Processing Requirement Protocol and Taxonomic Discrimination Protocol. Biomass to species level (wet weight in grams to at least 4 d.p.) is required for all countable taxa. Balances must be serviced annually, and a valid service certificate must be supplied with this tender. From experience, these samples can take up to 10 hours each to process and identified number of taxa per replicate has averaged 65 [A sample species list for the 2012 survey at this site is included in attached documents]. All fauna alive at the time of fixation must be extracted from the sediment, including those within shells and rocks.

Summary of deliverables:

• Analysis of 54 samples
• Externally audited, quality-controlled abundance / biomass matrices, with current nomenclature (primary processing and audit lab)
• A single reference collection of identified taxa (primary processing lab)
• Internal Quality Control logs (primary processing lab)
• Audited Quality Control report (audit lab)
• Weekly project summary updates and correspondence between primary processing and audit lab (primary processing and audit lab)