RV Cefas Endeavour 17/18
Cruise summary report
| Cruise Info. | |
| Ship name (ship code) | RV Cefas Endeavour (74E9) |
| Cruise identifier | 17/18 |
| Cruise period | 2018-10-06 — 2018-11-10 |
| Status | Completed |
| Port of departure | Swansea, United Kingdom |
| Port of return | Lowestoft, United Kingdom |
| Purpose | Research |
| Objectives | Aims
1. To carry out the annual multidisciplinary pelagic survey of the Western Channel and Celtic Sea waters to estimate the biomass of-, and gain insight into the population of the small pelagic fish community (sprat, sardine, mackerel, anchovy, horse mackerel). 2. To collect plankton samples using 2 different mesh ringnets (80 μm, and 270 μm mesh) at fixed stations at night by vertical haul. Samples will be processed onboard. 3. Water column sampling. At fixed stations along the acoustic transect, a CTD (either an ESM2 profiler or a Seabird mounted on a Rosette sampler) will be deployed to obtain a vertical profile of the physical properties of the water column, including chlorophyll, oxygen, salinity, temperature, turbidity, and dissolved inorganic nutrients as well as the relevant QAQC samples for calibration of the equipment. Water samples will be collected and fixed on board for analysis post-hoc. 4. Apex predator observations. Locations, species, numbers and activities of mammals, birds and other large predators including bluefin tuna will be recorded continuously during daylight hours by two Marinelife observers from bridge. 5. Ferrybox Continuous CTD/Thermo-salinograph. Continuously collect environmental data at 4 m depth during survey transects, including chlorophyll concentration (from calibrated fluorescence). 6. To carry out hourly measurements of the phytoplankton functional groups using an online flow-cytometer, connected to the Ferrybox; in collaboration with project JERICHO NEXT. 7. To collect water samples from the Rosette (at oceanographic stations) and the Ferrybox flow-through (during trawling), and process to extract environmental DNA (eDNA) for detection of small pelagic fish as part of a PhD study (Chris Brody, University of Salford) on the use of eDNA in marine environment to validate acoustic data and as a monitoring tool for rare organisms. 8. To continue development of the continuous Plankton Image Analyser (PIA) 9. To collect a zooplankton sample using the 200 μm mesh ringnet at the West Gabbard SmartBuoy, for the Lifeform project (Defra, PI Sophie Pitois) as part of the UK monitoring network for zooplankton. 10. The water sampler on the Ferrybox will be used to automatically collect daily samples for phytoplankton or nutrients analysis for the ASMIAE project (PI Sophie Pitois). Samples will be analysed for phytoplankton species composition and abundance using microscopy or inorganic nutrient concentrations. 11. To collect zooplankton samples at 10 preselected coastal and estuarine stations (10, 13, 15, 17, 20, 21, 23, 50, 79 and 82), to investigate the presence of lineages of microscoporidia on copepods (Jahcub Trew, Univ of Exeter). 12. To collect and freeze small pelagic fish specimens for genetic study into stock structure of sardine, sprat and anchovy. 13. To collect and freeze up to 30 herring specimens, where possible at different locations, for a genetic study into stock structure for D. Clarke at Swansea University. 14. To collect stomachs from dominant small pelagic fish species 15. To tag and release elasmobranchs species caught in the trawl with conventional -(Petersen discs) and/or electronic (DSTs) tags (Defra/MMO project(s), PI Jim Ellis/Sophy Phillips). |
| Chief scientist | Elisa Capuzzo (Centre for Environment, Fisheries and Aquaculture Science Lowestoft Laboratory), Jeroen Van der Kooij (Centre for Environment, Fisheries and Aquaculture Science Lowestoft Laboratory), Joana F Silva (Centre for Environment, Fisheries and Aquaculture Science Lowestoft Laboratory) |
| Cruise programme |  (0.25 MB) |
| Cruise report | (1.26 MB) |
| Ocean/sea areas | |
| General | English Channel Celtic Sea |
| Specific | Eastern Celtic Sea and western Channel (ICES Subareas 27.7 e, f, g) |
