FRV Alba Na Mara 1519A
Cruise plan
| Cruise Info. | |
| Ship name (ship code) | FRV Alba Na Mara (74NM) |
| Cruise identifier | 1519A |
| Cruise period | 2019-09-02 — 2019-09-21 |
| Status | Completed |
| Port of departure | Fraserburgh, United Kingdom |
| Port of return | Oban, United Kingdom |
| Purpose | Research |
| Objectives | Benthic survey of juvenile gadoids within the Firth of Clyde. Primary objective is to identify whether the availability, quality and distribution of habitat acts as a constraint on the number of juvenile fish that can grow and be recruited into the adult population. This study focusses on three gadoid species with differing habitat preferences; Atlantic cod, whiting and haddock, all of which the year-class strength appears to be established around the period of settlement to the demersal habit. The study will utilise three sampling methods: demersal tows, fish traps, and baited-camera census techniques. Data from these surveys will inform the development of species distribution models at a regional and stock scale and will also be used to compare the selectivity of the three sampling methods. Otolith based survivorship analyses will also be carried out post-survey to examine selection on settlement time and size-specific mortality. Genetic tissue will be stored and used post-survey to examine stock structure, primarily in cod. Habitat will be characterised using a combination of hydro-acoustic recordings (RoxAnn) for seabed classification and sediment grab samples.
Specific survey objectives are as follows: 1. To collect data on juvenile gadoid abundance using three different sampling methods. 2. To record substrate features at the point of sampling. 3. To collect sufficient otolith samples suitable for survival analysis studies. 4. To collect sufficient genetic material to investigate issues relating to stock structure. |
| Chief scientist | Philip Boulcott (Marine Scotland Aberdeen Marine Laboratory) |
| Cruise programme |  (0.30 MB) |
| Ocean/sea areas | |
| General | Inner Seas off the West Coast of Scotland Unknown |
| Specific | Firth of Clyde |
