FRV Explorer 9/72
Cruise summary report
| Cruise Info. | |
| Ship name (ship code) | FRV Explorer (74EX) |
| Cruise identifier | 9/72 |
| Cruise period | 1972-10-14 — 1972-10-31 |
| Status | Completed |
| Port of return | Leith, United Kingdom |
| Purpose | Research |
| Objectives | 1) Northern North Sea pre-recruit survey
2) Comparative trawling exercise with the Russian vessel ''Langust'' to carry out 12 comparative trawls at stations south and south east of Shetland The development of a defect in the ship's rudder and palastre pin meant the cruise terminated earlier than planned. Rough weather also curtailed the sampling programme |
| Chief scientist | Richard B Burns (Department of Agriculture and Fisheries for Scotland Aberdeen Marine Laboratory) |
| Cruise report |  (0.20 MB) |
| Ocean/sea areas | |
| General | North Sea Norwegian Sea |
| Specific | Shetland area, E of Aberdeenshire, E of Fair Isle, Fladen Ground, E of Balta, western edge of the Norwegian Deeps |
| Measurements | |
| Physical oceanography | |
| Water bottle stations | Quantity: number of stations = 32 Description: subsurface temperature, surface salinity |
| Subsurface temperature and salinity measurements | Quantity: number of stations = 32 Description: subsurface temperature, surface salinity |
| Chemical oceanography | |
| Phosphate | Quantity: number of stations = 32 |
| Nitrate | Quantity: number of stations = 32 |
| Ammonia | Quantity: number of stations = 32 |
| Silicate | Quantity: number of stations = 32 |
| Biology and fisheries | |
| Primary productivity | Quantity: number of stations = 32 |
| Phytoplankton pigs (eg chlorophyll, fluorescence) | Quantity: number of stations = 32 Description: chlorophyll |
| Phytoplankton | Quantity: number of hauls = 9 Description: Oblique. Made with the Dutch Gulf III at all stations and catches were deep frozen for dry weight determination |
| Zooplankton | Quantity: number of stations = 32 |
| Pelagic fish | Quantity: number of hauls = 35 Description: 1 hour duration using the 48 ft Aberdeen trawl with small mesh cover. A cod-end mesh size of 3 and a half inches was used for the first 26 trawls and changed to one of 3 inches for the remainder. Haddock was the dominant species followed by whiting, cod, saithe, industrial species, monkfish and flatfish. Herring and sprat were also caught |
| Demersal fish | Quantity: number of hauls = 35 Description: 1 hour duration using the 48 ft Aberdeen trawl with small mesh cover. A cod-end mesh size of 3 and a half inches was used for the first 26 trawls and changed to one of 3 inches for the remainder. Haddock was the dominant species followed by whiting, cod, saithe, industrial species, monkfish and flatfish. Herring and sprat were also caught |
| Taggings | Description: 28 plaice, 8 lemon sole. |
