Inventory of Gulf of Mexico oceanic fauna data including species, weight, and measurements from R/V Point Sur (Cruises DP03 and DP04) May-August, 2016

This data set includes the biological and environmental data for all of the species collected during the DP03 (May 2016) and DP04 cruises (August 2016). The main gear type used was a 10-m2 Multiple Opening Closing Net and Environmental Sensing System (MOCNESS). The MOCNESS was fitted with 6 nets which were opened according to the following depth scheme: net 0 from the surface to 1500m, net 1 from 1500-1200m, net 2 from 200-1000m, net 3 from 1000-600m, net 4 from 600-200m, and net 5 from 200m to the surface. Two trawls were conducted at each station sampled to capture diel vertical migration information; one during daylight hours between 9am-2:30pm CDT, and the other at 9pm-2:30am CDT. A dipnet and a neuston net were also used to collect sargassum and other animals from the surface for genetic and stable isotope analyses. A table of the taxonomic hierarchy used in the nekton database is included with references to those scientific names recently updated which are not yet reflected by the Integrated Taxonomic Information System (www.itis.gov).The MOCNESS sensor data and ship data collected during cruise DP03 are available in GRIIDC datasets R4.x257.226:0007 and R4.x257.226:0012 respectively and for cruise DP04 in GRIIDC datasets R4.x257.226:0008 and R4.x257.226:0013 respectively.