RV Cefas Endeavour 06/17
Cruise summary report
| Cruise Info. | |
| Ship name (ship code) | RV Cefas Endeavour (74E9) |
| Cruise identifier | 06/17 |
| Cruise period | 2017-04-18 — 2017-05-05 |
| Status | Completed |
| Port of departure | Lowestoft, United Kingdom |
| Port of return | Falmouth, United Kingdom |
| Purpose | Research |
| Objectives | The Joint Nature Conservation Committee (JNCC) and Cefas will conduct a survey to monitor Wight-Barfleur Reef and Bassurelle Sandbank candidate Special Areas of Conversation / Sites of Community Importance (cSAC/SCI) and inform assessment of condition of the designated features of the sites. The protected features of Wight-Barfleur Reef and Bassurelle Sandbank are Habitats Directive Annex I 'Reef' and 'Sandbanks slightly covered by seawater all the time'.
The first aim of the survey is to acquire sentinel monitoring (Type 1 monitoring) data to contribute to the development of a monitoring time series for Wight-Barfleur Reef and Bassurelle Sandbank cSAC/SCIs. These data will form the first time point of a dedicated monitoring dataset, however this wouldn't preclude their ad hoc comparison with existing data from these sites. The survey will gather evidence on the structure, function and condition of Annex I features against which the rate and direction of change can be inferred in the long term. Data from this survey will form part of a monitoring time series and future repeated monitoring and evidence gathering will be required to fully investigate and understand the long-term variability in any parameters measured. The second aim of the survey is to understand the benthic environment within and immediately surrounding the Nab Tower licenced dredge disposal site. This will be carried out by carrying out a repeat survey of the stations visited in the 2014 monitoring survey (with the inclusion of an additional three stations). The RV Cefas Endeavour was mobbed on 18 April 2017 before a vessel safety induction was conducted by the ships Safety Officer. The vessel departed Lowestoft for a survey of Bassurelle Sandbank, Wight-Barfleur and Nab Tower. All aims and objectives were met in all three areas and the vessel docked in Falmouth on the morning of 05 May 2017 to commence demobilisation of equipment, samples and survey staff. |
| Chief scientist | Paul McIlwaine (Centre for Environment, Fisheries and Aquaculture Science Lowestoft Laboratory) |
| Cruise programme |  (0.36 MB) |
| Cruise report | (1.17 MB) |
| Ocean/sea areas | |
| General | English Channel |
| Specific | Bassurelle Sandbank, Wight-Barfleur Reef, Isle of Wight |
