Resources

RV Belgica 2018-19A

Cruise plan

Cruise Info. 
Ship name (ship code)RV Belgica (11BE)
Cruise identifier2018-19A
Cruise period2018-08-27 — 2018-08-31
StatusCompleted
Port of departureZeebrugge, Belgium
Port of returnIpswich, United Kingdom
PurposeResearch
ObjectivesSince 1985, the ILVO‐Fisheries Research Group on Fisheries Biology performs fishery‐independent surveys of the adult flatfish stocks (primarily plaice and sole) in the southern North Sea. Each year, 62 stations are sampled. All invertebrates and fish are sorted by species, and then counted. The commercial species and non‐commercial fish are also measured for length. For plaice, sole, turbot, brill and cod, otoliths are taken for age determination (for each species 3 otoliths per cm size class in 14 separate geographical units). Since 2012 marine litter is also documented. On an annual basis, the data are exchanged at the Working Group on Beam Trawl Surveys (WGBEAM), a group which is coordinated by the International Council for the Exploration of the Sea (ICES), and they are uploaded in the ICES‐database DATRAS (http://datras.ices.dk) from 2010 onwards. The survey is a compulsory part of the Belgian National Data Gathering Program, in fulfilment of the requirements of EC Regulation no. 199/2008.
Chief scientistLoes Vandecasteele (Institute for Agricultural and Fisheries Research, Ostend)
ProjectNorth Sea Beam Trawl Survey
Coordinating bodyInternational Council for the Exploration of the Sea (ICES)
NPRCRV Belgica 2018-19A NPRC belgica_2018-19.pdf (0.80 MB) 
Ocean/sea areas 
GeneralNorth Sea
SpecificSouthern North Sea