RV Cefas Endeavour 01/19
Cruise plan
| Cruise Info. | |
| Ship name (ship code) | RV Cefas Endeavour (74E9) |
| Cruise identifier | 01/19 |
| Cruise period | 2019-01-03 — 2019-01-24 |
| Status | Completed |
| Port of departure | Lowestoft, United Kingdom |
| Port of return | Lowestoft, United Kingdom |
| Purpose | Research |
| Objectives | Aims
Offshore Overfalls 1. The highest priority work is to complete the MBES survey and camera survey of the sedimentary habitats. These will provide information to help inform where grab samples are most likely to be successful and because these habitats are protected features of the site. 2. The second priority at Offshore Overfalls is to complete the grab survey in the area suitable for collecting these samples. 3. The third priority at Offshore Overfalls is to complete the camera survey of the rock habitats at the site. This is a lower priority than the other work because the rock habitats are not a protected feature of the site. Offshore Brighton 1. The highest priority work is the complete the camera survey of the sedimentary and rock habitats. This is because this will provide information to help inform where grab samples are most likely to be successful and because these habitats are protected features of the site. 2. The second priority at Offshore Brighton is to complete the grab survey in the area suitable for collecting these samples. Plan The majority of the gear will be mobilised as part of CEND2018 and left onboard for this survey. Additional kit will be mobilised on 2/3 January 2019. Inductions will take place for approximately 12 staff at a time to be agreed on 3 January. The Cefas Endeavour will leave Lowestoft port on 3 January 2019 on the evening high water tide (TBC). The vessel will transit to the West Gabbard II smart buoy site and collect plankton samples. The vessel will then continue its transit to the survey site. If it is not possible to carry out the plankton sampling on the outward journey then a second attempt will be made on the return journey. The survey will pause 15-16 January to allow a crew and scientific staff change to take place. The proposed port for the crew change is Shoreham (TBC). A second set of inductions will be needed for 4 staff prior to sailing. The fieldwork will recommence until the end of survey when the vessel will return to Lowestoft Port on 24 January at 23:50. Scientific staff will remain onboard until 25 January to aid demobilisation of kit and samples in the morning. Site and sampling order will be determined during the survey based on priority and gear suitability for the prevailing weather conditions. Assuming favourable weather conditions, the first activity will be to calibrate the MBES on at a known nearby wreck site (location details to be provided nearer survey date). Following calibration, the MBES survey of part of Offshore Overfalls will be carried out. The grab and camera sampling operations will then be undertaken, ideally in order of priority, but again in accordance with weather conditions. In addition: if time permits, additional data may be collected to allow comparison of the power of Grab and Camera sampling by increasing the replication of drop camera tows at the Hamon grab stations (assuming the Hamon grab stations result in successful sediment samples). Where invalid 'mini' Hamon grab samples are collected (e.g. sample volume <5 L), an eDNA sub-sample may be collected to aid in development of a molecular library of infaunal taxa. These samples will be collected and preserved in Industrial Methylated Spirits and will be made available to potential collaborators as required. |
| Chief scientist | Daniel T Wood (Centre for Environment, Fisheries and Aquaculture Science Lowestoft Laboratory) |
| Cruise programme |  (0.29 MB) |
| Ocean/sea areas | |
| General | English Channel |
| Specific | Offshore Overfalls MCZ and Offshore Brighton MCZ |
