Zooplankton samples were collected using vertical hauls of a WP2 plankton net (56 cm mouth diameter, 180 µm mesh size) at a retrieval speed of approximately 0.5 m s⁻¹. Tows were conducted either from ~5 m above the seafloor to the surface or, at deep stations, from a maximum depth of 200 m to the surface. Upon recovery, each sample was split into two subsamples using a Motoda splitter. One subsample was used for biomass determination, including size-fractionation through 2000 µm, 1000 µm, and 180 µm sieves, followed by drying at 60°C in pre-weighed aluminium trays. The second subsample was preserved in 4% borax-buffered formaldehyde solution, gently rinsed, and analysed onboard using a FlowCam Macro imaging system for preliminary taxonomic and morphological characterization, before being retained for subsequent detailed laboratory-based taxonomic analysis.