Resources

FRV Scotia 0615S

Cruise plan

Cruise Info. 
Ship name (ship code)FRV Scotia (748S)
Cruise identifier0615S
Cruise period2015-05-11 — 2015-05-31
StatusCompleted
Port of departureAberdeen, United Kingdom
Port of returnAberdeen, United Kingdom
PurposeResearch
ObjectivesObjectives

1. To undertake bathymetric, side scan sonar and groundtruthing survey work in connection with offshore oil and gas pipelines and elevated demersal fishing activities in UK and Norwegian waters of the North sea.
2. To undertake trials of the smolt trawl in the Moray Firth.

Procedure

MRV Scotia will depart from Aberdeen on 11 May. Before making passage to the pipeline stations, Scotia will calibrate the multibeam system off Stonehaven. A small boat transfer will be necessary to return the RESON representative back to Stonehaven Harbour. The work will be heavily dependant on the weather. The proposed survey is very similar to work undertaken for previous renewable energy surveys in the Pentland Firth (2009), west of Lewis and Fair Isle (2010) and north coast of Scotland (2011). The bathymetric survey work will involve a series of transects collecting multibeam, side scan sonar and RoxAnn data. Sound velocity profiles will be recorded on a daily basis. Multibeam data will be collected along the pipeline sections. On completion of one tow over the entire pipeline section, further transects will be run deploying both the multibeam and the sidescan sonar simultaneously. The output from the transects will guide the stations for the TV tows which in turn will determine the sites for the deployment of the day grab. On completion of the pipeline survey work, MRV Scotia will relocate to the Moray Firth to undertake trials using the recently commissioned Smolt trawl.

A video trawl net for use pelagically close to the surface for the enumeration of salmon and sea trout smolts as they emigrate through near coastal waters in spring has been recently commercially manufactured for MSS. The key purpose for the days allocated on Scotia to test the net will be to ensure that the net itself can be deployed and function correctly, particularly in view of this being a type of net new to the Scotia crew, and establish protocols for shooting and retrieving the net and accompanying equipment as a prelude to more extensive work during the smolt run of 2016 in the Moray Firth. The net is designed to operate close to the surface with entrained fish directed through a detachable camera and PIT detector frame at its end. Although the first deployments may be without the frame in place, it is intended to test the deployment and operation of the camera set up and PIT detector arrangements at an early stage in the testing.

Shooting the net may require a depth of 50m, although it is expected that once the net is underway and the doors have lifted that it will be able to operate in water shallower that this. The initial testing is planned to take place in the Southern Trench of the Moray Firth, and if the initial test deployments go well to move to other locations in the Moray Firth.

MRV Scotia will complete half landings at Aberdeen on 19 and 27 of May to exchange scientific staff. The second half landing will be followed by the relocation of the survey work into the Moray Firth. On completion of the survey MRV Scotia will return to Aberdeen on 31 May.
Chief scientistPeter Hayes (Marine Scotland Aberdeen Marine Laboratory)
Cruise programmeFRV Scotia 0615S cruise programme 0615s.pdf  (0.06 MB) 
Ocean/sea areas 
GeneralNorth Sea
SpecificMoray Firth. Orkney. Shetland.
Track chartsFRV Scotia 0615S cruise track — 0615strk.pdf (0.04 MB)