ABSTRACT
The field work associated with the collection and transport of samples will account for a substantial proportion of the total cost of a monitoring programme. Sampling expeditions should, therefore, be planned and carried out in such a way that efforts are not wasted. If, for example, an essential piece of equipment is forgotten or an inadequately described sampling station cannot e found, the value of that particular sampling expedition is seriously compromised. Similarly, if unrealistic estimates of travel time are made and an expedition takes longer than intended, samples may be held longer than the maximum allowable storage time and the results of analyses will be of questionable value.
