FRV Alba Na Mara 1208A
Cruise summary report
| Cruise Info. | |
| Ship name (ship code) | FRV Alba Na Mara (74NM) |
| Cruise identifier | 1208A |
| Cruise period | 2008-11-01 — 2008-11-17 |
| Status | Completed |
| Port of departure | Fraserburgh, United Kingdom |
| Port of return | Fraserburgh, United Kingdom |
| Purpose | Fisheries |
| Objectives | Objectives
1. To undertake fish and sediment sampling in the Clyde and Minch areas in support of the temporal trend and biomarker monitoring studies. 2. To sample fish and sediment from the Clyde and Solway Firth CSEMP stations. 3. To undertake sampling of flounder collected from upper Clyde on behalf of SEPA West. 4. To undertake sampling of flounder in St Andrews Bay, the Firth of Forth and from the upper Forth (Alloa) in support of the ICON (Integrated Chemical and Biological Effects) Programme and biomarker monitoring studies. 5. Collect wet fish for the aquarium. Narrative Scientific gear was loaded and secured on 29 October. Due to an electrical fault, which was not repaired until 3 November, sailing was delayed until 4 November. With a weather window to allow passage to the west coast, Alba na Mara sailed north and west arriving in the Clyde area and sampling the CSEMP outer Clyde site before anchoring overnight in Lamlash Bay on 6 November. The fishing sites at Garroch Head and Hunterston were sampled on 7 November and the vessel tied up overnight at Fairlie pier. On 8 November, the fishing sites at Skelmorlie and Holy Loch were completed before sailing south and tying up overnight in Ardrossan. Deteriorating weather precluded working on 9 November and with worsening weather forecast, it was decided to move the vessel to Campbeltown. Severe weather precluded further sailing until 0700 on 12 November when passage was made for the Firth of Forth. Alba na Mara tied up alongside Rosyth at 1700 on 14 November. Matt Gubbins joined the vessel and the fish caught from Alloa were transferred and processed aboard Alba na Mara. Fishing for flounder and sediment sampling at Tancred was successfully carried out during 15 November and at St Andrews Bay on 16 November. On completion of this work, Alba na Mara made passage for Fraserburgh where docking was completed by 0300 on Monday 17 November. Sampling gear, scientific equipment and all samples were unloaded on Tuesday 18 November and returned to Aberdeen. |
| Chief scientist | Alistair D McIntosh (Fisheries Research Services Aberdeen Marine Laboratory) |
| Project | AE11p |
| Cruise programme |  (0.31 MB) |
| Cruise report | (0.06 MB) |
| Ocean/sea areas | |
| General | North Sea Inner Seas off the West Coast of Scotland |
| Specific | St Andrews Bay, Firth of Forth, Blackness, Upper Forth, Broad Bay, Colonsay, Outer Clyde, Pladda, Inner Clyde, Garroch Head, Irvine Bay, Hunterston, Skelmorlie, Holy Loch, Upper Clyde, Solway Firth |
| Track charts | (0.04 MB) |
