FRV Alba Na Mara 1511A
Cruise plan
| Cruise Info. | |
| Ship name (ship code) | FRV Alba Na Mara (74NM) |
| Cruise identifier | 1511A |
| Cruise period | 2011-10-19 — 2011-11-04 |
| Status | Completed |
| Port of departure | Fraserburgh, United Kingdom |
| Port of return | Ullapool, United Kingdom |
| Purpose | Fisheries |
| Objectives | Objectives
The survey will encompass a region from the North Minch, including the East Shiant Bank and Shiant Islands and south to the Little Minch. Contingency sampling stations along the east coast of the Outer Hebrides and on the west coast of the Scottish mainland have also been included in the sampling programme. These will only be sampled if the weather conditions prevent work in the core sampling area. This survey will gather biological data to help inform the importance of large scale features (LSFs) within Scottish waters. These LSFs represent areas of functional significance to the overall health and biological diversity of Scottish seas and are intended to compliment the MPA search feature habitats which, whilst not necessarily containing these MPA features, have a benefit by supporting wider ecosystem function. Using a combination of underwater video, grabs and fish traps, the survey will seek to gather information on the benthos and mobile fish species that utilise the LSFs. Loading of the MSS sourced scientific gear will take place on the 13 and 14 October in Fraserburgh, other items supplied by SNH will be delivered to the vessel on or before the 19 October. Alba na Mara will then sail on the morning of 19 October and, once safety drills and vessel familiarisation tours have taken place, Alba na Mara will make passage to the first sampling positions in the Minch. A daily operational sampling plan will be formulated and agreed by the SIC, the Captain and the SNH representative. A half-landing will be take place around the 26 October, the port to be visited will be decided during the first half of the cruise. J Mair may have to leave the vessel at some point towards the end of the survey, again port and date to be decided nearer the time. Alba will be offloaded in Ullapool on 4 November when all scientific personnel, samples and sampling gear will return to Aberdeen. |
| Chief scientist | Michael R Robertson (Marine Scotland Aberdeen Marine Laboratory) |
| Cruise programme |  (1.87 MB) |
| Ocean/sea areas | |
| General | Inner Seas off the West Coast of Scotland |
| Specific | North Minch |
| Track charts | (1.85 MB) |
| Measurements | |
| Biology and fisheries | |
| Zoobenthos | Quantity: number of stations = 17 Description: Benthic grab samples |
| Exploratory fishing | Quantity: number of stations = 7 Description: Fish Cage Deployments |
| Geology and geophysics | |
| Bottom photography | Quantity: number of stations = 65 Description: Minutes of Tows (10 minutes approximately each) |
| Bottom photography | Quantity: number of images = 700 Description: Digital still images (estimated) |
