I think you'd want to use a portable dredge/grab sampler like a ponar followed by a rinsing and shorting of the sediments to separate the macros. When I was with the USGS, we used a ponar to collect lake and river sediments (in the top ~6") and we captured plenty of inverts.
Mike 3. Suggestions for collecting benthic macroinvertebrates Date: Wed, 17 Jul 2013 07:32:47 -0700 From: Kelly Stettner <[email protected]> Subject: Suggestions for collecting benthic macroinvertebrates I'm looking for best methods for collecting BURROWING macros from a river b= ed. =A0I have a Hester-Dendy sampler, but my interest lies deeper, pun very= much intended.=0A=0AIn exploring the pore water of the river (the zone whe= re groundwater seeps up into the river's surface water) to get a sense of t= he presence/absence/concentrations of certain pollutants, I am choosing to = look at the macros instead of trying to sample the pore water itself. =A0Es= sentially, as a volunteer grassroots organization with a null budget, I nee= d to focus on those methods that will be cost-effective, engage the public,= and produce meaningful results. =A0"Interviewing" the macro population in = the target zone seems to hit all those requirements to an acceptable extent= .=0A=0ATo wit, should I be digging with a shovel? =A0Seems very "gross" and= crude in terms of damaging the organisms. =A0I have a couple of D-nets for= kick samples, but would I be able to dig deep enough to collect a decent s= ample of macros?=0A=0AOther suggestions that might require DIY hand-tools?= =0A=0AMany thanks,=0AKelly Stettner, Director=0ABlack River Action Team=0AS= pringfield VT
