Surface water samples were collected from each location in the
Yangtze Estuary using a 12 V DC Teflon pump at a depth of 1 m
(Table 1). Two replicate samples were passed through a 32-lmsteel
sieve. The retained particulate material was washed into 50 mLglass
bottles. The samples in the East China Sea were collected using a
neuston net with a 30 40 cm2 opening and 333 lm mesh (Ryan
et al., 2009) (Table 2). The net was towed along the surface layer at
a nominal 2.0 knots (1.75–2.45 knots) for 25–30 min in each transect
and towed off the port side of the vessel to avoid disturbance
by the bow wave. Contents of the net were washed into a sample
jar and fixed in 2.5% formalin (Lattin et al., 2004).