Unity 0910H
Cruise plan
| Cruise Info. | |
| Ship name (ship code) | Unity (74UT) |
| Cruise identifier | 0910H |
| Cruise period | 2010-06-15 — 2010-07-06 |
| Status | Completed |
| Port of departure | Fraserburgh, United Kingdom |
| Port of return | Fraserburgh, United Kingdom |
| Purpose | Fisheries |
| Objectives | Objectives
1. To carry out mackerel egg survey (ICES Triennial Survey), on the western shelf and shelf edge in the area from 50oN to 60oN and 4oW to 21oW. 2. To collect fish samples, by trawling, for atresia and fecundity analysis back at the laboratory. Procedure The vessel will proceed to the first plankton station line at 58 15'N 8 15W. Plankton stations will be taken along the line 58 15'N at 30' intervals. Subsequent transects will be at 1 degree intervals with stations at 30' E/W intervals. Plankton stations will be taken using the Gulf VII sampler with mounted CTD, which will record salinity and temperature during the tow. The plankton tows will require the vessel to deploy the sampler at 1-2 knots, and then steam at 5 knots. The sampler will then be lowered at a steady rate (10m/min) from the plankton crane to within 5m of the seabed or 200m - whichever is shallower. The sampler will then be recovered at the same speed. Once aboard, plankton samples will be washed from the sampler net, fixed in formalin and scored for egg abundance. Trawl samples will be taken at the discretion of the scientist in charge. There should be a maximum of 15 trawls for the whole survey. The precise length of each transect cannot be defined in advance as this survey uses an adaptive design, where sampling along a line will continue until there are no or very small numbers of eggs. The half landing is expected to be in Ireland around the 26 June and likely to be either Galway or Cork depending on the progress of the survey. Following the half landing the survey will proceed if time allows back over the area covered in the first half with transects interlaced between those carried out during the first half. Normal contact will be retained with the laboratory throughout, and with other vessels taking part in the survey. |
| Chief scientist | Finlay Burns (Marine Scotland Aberdeen Marine Laboratory), James Drewery (Marine Scotland Aberdeen Marine Laboratory) |
| Project | RV1006 |
| Cruise programme |  (0.33 MB) |
| Ocean/sea areas | |
| General | North East Atlantic Ocean (limit 40W) |
| Specific | Western continental shelf |
