In Panama, studies of marine plankton, specifically zooplankton and ichthyoplankton, are gaining importance in understanding the ecological and reproductive aspects of many species. This study was conducted during the 2020 dry season at a fixed station within the Coiba National Park protected area, where zooplankton research is scarce. Vertical trawls were performed at a depth of 30 m for
Approximately 10 minutes, excluding the time it takes to lower and raise the net. The physical and chemical parameters considered in this study were temperature, salinity, dissolved oxygen, and pH. The objective of this work is to offer a first quantitative and qualitative characterization of the structure and composition of zooplankton at a fixed station in Coiba National Park, known as Bajo 20. In this study, the dominance of copepods and their holoplantonic nature in the studied area indicate that they can be used as indicators of secondary productivity.
