Thalassa CGFS2018
Cruise plan
| Cruise Info. | |
| Ship name (ship code) | Thalassa (35HT) |
| Cruise identifier | CGFS2018 |
| Cruise period | 2018-09-13 — 2018-10-14 |
| Status | Completed |
| Port of departure | Brest, France |
| Port of return | Boulogne, France |
| Purpose | Research |
| Objectives | Since 1988, the French IFREMER Fisheries Resources laboratory is carrying out a pluri-annual program to estimate recruitment and demography structure of the main commercial fish populations in the English Channel. While the time series initially concerned the eastern part of the English Channel, the western part of this area is now included in the survey coverage. These data are collected annually during the bottom trawl survey CGFS (Channel Ground Fish Survey), as part of the EU DCMAP (Data Collection Multi-Annual Programme). This scientific survey allows to describe the fish community composition and its spatial distribution and to collect biological information needed for stock assessments by ICES (International Council for the Exploration of the Sea) working groups. From 2015 onwards, CGFS takes place on the R/V Thalassa allowing a broader sampling of the ecosystem, notably physico-chemical measurements, and phyto, zoo and ichthyoplankton samples. Benthic invertebrates, litter and jellyfish are also recorded as part as the MSFD (Marine Strategy Framework Directive) requirements. The data and samples collected during this survey are also used to determinate the relationship between environmental parameters and species abundance to identified their optimal habitats, and to determinate the links between the populations inhabiting this ecosystem, in order to estimate its trophic structure and functioning. |
| Chief scientist | Eric Foucher (IFREMER Channel and North Sea Centre, Port en Bessin) |
| NPRC |  (0.20 MB) |
| Ocean/sea areas | |
| General | English Channel |
