RV Cefas Endeavour 18/15
Cruise summary report
| Cruise Info. | |
| Ship name (ship code) | RV Cefas Endeavour (74E9) |
| Cruise identifier | 18/15 |
| Cruise period | 2015-08-08 — 2015-09-05 |
| Status | Completed |
| Port of departure | Lowestoft, United Kingdom |
| Port of return | Lowestoft, United Kingdom |
| Purpose | Research |
| Objectives | Primary Objective: To carry out a groundfish survey of the North Sea as part of the ICES coordinated IBTS, using a standard GOV trawl in order to obtain information on:
a) Distribution, size composition and abundance of all fish species caught. b) Age - length distribution of selected species. c) Distribution of fish in relation to their environment. d) Distribution of macrobenthos and anthropogenic debris. e) Surface and bottom temperature and salinity data using CTD rosette and Niskin Bottle. f) Length weight & maturity information using individual fish measurements, in support of the EU Data Regulation. g) To collect marine litter from the trawl RV Cefas Endeavour sailed from Lowestoft on 8 August 2015 to begin the Quarter 3 IBTS North Sea Groundfish Survey for the UK. A valid GOV trawl haul was successfully completed at all of the 76 primary station positions. Surface and bottom salinity samples and a water column CTD profile were taken at 75 of the primary stations fished. A total of 8311 biological samples were taken for the primary target species. In addition, a total of 21 elasmobranchs were captured, tagged and released during the survey. RV Cefas Endeavour returned back to Lowestoft on 5 September. |
| Chief scientist | James Robert Ellis (Centre for Environment, Fisheries and Aquaculture Science Lowestoft Laboratory), Sophy McCully Phillips (Centre for Environment, Fisheries and Aquaculture Science Lowestoft Laboratory) |
| Project | ICES International Bottom Trawl Survey (IBTS) |
| Coordinating body | International Council for the Exploration of the Sea (ICES) |
| Cruise programme |  (0.15 MB) |
| Cruise report | (2.87 MB) |
| Ocean/sea areas | |
| General | North Sea |
| Measurements | |
| Physical oceanography | |
| CTD stations | Quantity: number of stations = 45 Description: 45 CTD casts |
| CTD stations | Quantity: number of stations = 45 Description: Salinity samples collected at surface and bottom using niskin at 45 stations. |
| Contamination | |
| Other contaminant measurements | Quantity: number of observations = 198 Description: 198 pieces of litter observed at 67 stations. |
| Biology and fisheries | |
| Phytoplankton pigs (eg chlorophyll, fluorescence) | Quantity: number of experiments = 60 Description: Pigment and flow cytometry conducted at 60 stations |
| Particulate organic matter (inc POC, PON) | Quantity: number of samples = 91 Description: Particulate in/organic carbon analysis of seawater was conducted across 76 stations |
| Dissolved organic matter (inc DOC) | Quantity: number of experiments = 48 Description: Seawater collected from 24 CTD stations and 24 surface samples, incubations conducted to determine rate of dissolved organic matter degradation by the natural microbial community |
| Demersal fish | Quantity: number of hauls = 77 Description: 76 stations fished with hybrid GOV, one additional tow |
| Taggings | Quantity: number of specimens = 21 Description: 21 elasmobranchs tagged with Petersen discs |
| Other biological/fisheries measurement | Quantity: number of samples = 8311 Description: 8311 biological samples, including otoliths collected for ageing purposes for commercial fish |
| Data held at BODC | |
| Discrete samples | |
| 23 Sample taken from ship's non-toxic supply | |
| 24 Water bottle hydrocast |
