FRV Scotia 0120S
Cruise plan
| Cruise Info. | |
| Ship name (ship code) | FRV Scotia (748S) |
| Cruise identifier | 0120S |
| Cruise period | 2020-01-06 — 2020-01-21 |
| Status | Completed |
| Port of departure | Leith, United Kingdom |
| Port of return | Aberdeen, United Kingdom |
| Purpose | Research |
| Objectives | Objectives
1. To undertake water, sediment and biological sampling for the Clean Seas Environmental Monitoring Programme (CSEMP). 2. Monitor and record all litter brought aboard in all trawls. Sample water column and sediment for micro-plastic litter. Collect fish guts and any other biota of interest for microplastic research. 3. If possible, deploy Aquatracka and Seabird 25 to collect fluorescence data. Procedure Scientific staff will join the vessel on 05 January 2020 to conduct final set-up of scientific equipment. The vessel will depart Leith on 06 January and head for the nearest sampling station as agreed with the master and fishing master. The order in which sampling stations will be undertaken will be agreed on a daily basis and in line with current weather conditions. Fish sampling for biological effect assessment will be carried out at multiple locations. Due to a lack of sites in certain sampling regions, new sites will be tested and assessed for the collection of dab (in Central Minch, North of Coll and West of Orkney). If successful, the target species will be sampled for biological effect assessment and chemistry analysis. Fish will be sampled for chemical analyses, biological effects and fish diseases. Some biological effects measurements will be carried out during the survey. Sediment sampling will be carried out at the Montrose bank, East coast, Inner and Outer Moray Firth, Minch North, Minch South, Colonsay, Outer Hebrides, Sea of Hebrides and Solway sites. Sediment sampling will also be carried out at the four CSEMP fixed sites (NMMP85 - North Minch, NMMP95 - Inner Moray Firth, NMMP105 - Outer Moray Firth, NMMP165 - Montrose Bank). Sediments will be sampled for chemical analyses at all locations. Sediment sampling will also be attempted in the West of Orkney to add another sampling site on the CSEMP programme. Monitoring of all litter brought on board during trawling operations will continue throughout the survey. The catamaran will be deployed to sample for micro-plastics whenever possible (exact high priority locations to be confirmed) and samples processed onboard as far as possible. Additional sediment samples will also be taken for micro-plastics where possible. Fish guts and any other biota of interest might also be preserved and returned to the lab for analysis (exact sampling requirements to be confirmed). The Aquatracka will be deployed in the Forth and in at least one other area to obtain reference measurements. Vertical profiling will be performed and tows using the modified acoustic sledge will also be tested. The vessel will return to Aberdeen for unloading on 21 January 2020. |
| Chief scientist | Guillaume Hermann (Marine Scotland Aberdeen Marine Laboratory) |
| Cruise programme |  (0.14 MB) |
| Ocean/sea areas | |
| General | North Sea Inner Seas off the West Coast of Scotland |
| Specific | Montrose bank, East coast, Moray Firth, West of Orkney, the Minch, Colonsay, Coll, Outer Hebrides, Sea of Hebrides, Solway |
