RV Corystes COR1B/97
Cruise summary report
| Cruise Info. | |
| Ship name (ship code) | RV Corystes (74RY) |
| Cruise identifier | COR1B/97 |
| Cruise period | 1997-01-18 — 1997-01-27 |
| Status | Completed |
| Port of departure | Lowestoft, United Kingdom |
| Port of return | Lowestoft, United Kingdom |
| Purpose | Research |
| Objectives | 1. Collection of blood, sperm and testis samples from male plaice caught on and off the main spawning areas of the North Sea - to determine: a) whether sperm production and sex steroid levels are affected by the presence of ripe spawning females; b) whether sex steroid levels are linked to body size; c) whether sex steroid levels are affected by environmental xenoestrogens. This is a continuation of studies carried out on CORYSTES 1/94 and CORYSTES 1/96.
2. Conconmitant plankton net collections of fertilised plaice eggs to assess the intensity of spawning in the sampling areas (Bromley). 3. Concomitant collection of plasma samples from male dabs. 4. Collection of pools of blood plasma from female plaice eggs (stage IV and stage V/VI to be collected separately) for mass spectrometry studies. 5. Collection of plaice pituitaries for purification of gonadotrophins. Due to damage to one of the liquid nitrogen containers, pituitaries and brains were not collected. 6. Collection of plaice brain hypothalami for possible purification of gonadotrophin-releasing hormones by Dr Sherwood of the University of Victoria in Canada. Due to damage to one of the liquid nitrogen containers, pituitaries and brains were not collected. 7. Experiments in deck tanks to determine the time course in the drop in sex steroid levels which has been found in captured male plaice. 8. Collection of live male plaice for return to the laboratory. All aims with the exception of 5 and 6 were successfully completed. |
| Chief scientist | Alexander Pickering Scott (Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food Lowestoft Fisheries Laboratory) |
| Cruise report |  (0.31 MB) |
| Ocean/sea areas | |
| General | North Sea |
| Specific | Southern North Sea |
| Track charts |  |
| Measurements | |
| Biology and fisheries | |
| Biochemical measurements (eg lipids, amino acids) | Quantity: number of specimens = 570 Description: Plaice. Sex steroid levels in plasma; gonad weights |
| Zooplankton | Quantity: number of stations = 20 Description: Density of plaice eggs |
| Demersal fish | Quantity: number of specimens = 570 Description: Plaice. Sex steroid levels in plasma; gonad weights |
| Demersal fish | Quantity: number of stations = 20 Description: Density of plaice eggs |
