FFS Walther Herwig III 332
Cruise plan
| Cruise Info. | |
| Ship name (ship code) | FFS Walther Herwig III (06NI) |
| Cruise identifier | 332 |
| Cruise period | 2010-03-24 — 2010-04-29 |
| Status | Completed |
| Port of departure | Unknown, Germany |
| Port of return | Unknown, Germany |
| Purpose | Research |
| Objectives | The cruise serves to estimate the populations of north-eastern Atlantic mackerels (Scomber scombrus) and of scad (Trachurus trachurus), two extremely important types of fish for the European fish industry.
For both types of fish, the concentration of freshly spawned eggs and the fertility of the female animals, as well as their proportion in the total level of spawned biomass can be estimated. The sample taking is conducted during the spawning season. Due to the enormous time span (January to July) and spatial expansion (Gibraltar to the north of Scotland) of the spawning, this study has only been conducted every three years since the 1970s. Since then it has delivered a reliable index for the population size. Nine European nations are participating with research ships and chartered fishery vehicles to spend a total of more than 300 days at sea in a study conducted by the International Council for the Exploration of the Seas and the European Union. As a German contribution, the "Walther Herwig III" will take samples for six weeks at the beginning of the spawning season on the western European shelf. |
| Chief scientist | Jens Ulleweit (Thünen Institute of Sea Fisheries, Hamburg) |
| NPRC |  (0.06 MB) |
| Ocean/sea areas | |
| General | Celtic Sea Bay of Biscay North East Atlantic Ocean (limit 40W) |
