FRV Scotia 1314S
Cruise plan
| Cruise Info. | |
| Ship name (ship code) | FRV Scotia (748S) |
| Cruise identifier | 1314S |
| Cruise period | 2014-09-08 — 2014-09-19 |
| Status | Completed |
| Port of departure | Scrabster, United Kingdom |
| Port of return | Aberdeen, United Kingdom |
| Purpose | Research |
| Objectives | Objectives
1. Visual survey of sponge grounds using HD VMUX in the Faroe-Shetland channel and at Rosemary bank. 2. Transects of trawls to document fish community from ~ 300 m to approx.1500 m at 100 m intervals in the Faroe-Shetland channel and at Rosemary bank. 3. Sample benthic fauna with trawl ground-gear bags in all areas. 4. Sample a range of species of fish and invertebrates for analysis of contaminants and sensory assessment. 5. Trial use of AquaTracka, including collection of discrete water samples. General Scotia will work the eastern slope of the Faroe-Shetland Channel (FSC) and the Rosemary Bank. Fishing operations will be generally carried out during daytime and visual surveys at night. Some flexibility in scheduling may be necessary to maximise the opportunity for visual survey during favourable weather conditions. Water sampling using the AquaTracka sensor will also be carried out on an opportunistic basis. Scotia will first head to the northern stations in the FSC (24 hr steam) and spend approximately five days working progressively south. Passage will then be made to Rosemary Bank for a further 2-3 days work before returning to Aberdeen (1.5 days steam). Objective 1 - In the FSC three VMUX survey areas will be targeted; one in the north (approximately 61.5 N), one centre (approximately. 61 N) and one in the south (approximately 60 N). In the FSC the sponge fields are situated between 400-600 m. Attempts will be made to undertake three 10 km transects at approximately 400, 500 and 600 m at each site. At Rosemary Bank the sponge fields are deeper (> 1000 m) on the eastern flank of the bank. We will attempt to determine the spatial and bathyl extent of the sponge fields. Objective 2 - Trawling will be carried out at stations along depth contours between the 300 and 1,500 m isobaths at approximately 100 m depth intervals, except at those depths where the sponges are known to be present (generally 400-600 m in FSC and 1200-1300 m at Rosemary Bank). Transects will be made in the three areas in the FSC and at known trawl sites on Rosemary bank. All species of fish and invertebrates will be identified, weighed and measured. Biological sampling will take place concurrently. While some trawl sites are known, others may need to be sourced and some time may be needed to run the ground prior to trawl deployment. Objective 3 - Benthic fauna will be sampled simultaneously with trawling by using ground-gear bags. All species will be identified, counted and/or weighed. Objective 4 - A range of fish and invertebrates will be sampled for contaminant analysis and sensory assessment. Objective 5 - The AquaTracka water sensor will be trialed and tested on an opportunistic basis. Scotia will return to Aberdeen for unloading on the morning of 19 September. |
| Chief scientist | Francis C Neat (Marine Scotland Aberdeen Marine Laboratory) |
| Cruise programme |  (0.40 MB) |
| Ocean/sea areas | |
| General | North East Atlantic Ocean (limit 40W) |
| Specific | Faroe-Shetland channel. Rosemary bank. |
| Track charts | (0.39 MB) |
| Data held at BODC | |
| Discrete samples | |
| 10 Sample taken from ship's non-toxic supply |
