Celtic Explorer CE21017
Cruise summary report
| Cruise Info. | |
| Ship name (ship code) | Celtic Explorer (45CE) |
| Cruise identifier | CE21017 |
| Cruise period | 2021-08-23 — 2021-09-02 |
| Status | Completed |
| Port of departure | Ostend, Belgium |
| Port of return | Ostend, Belgium |
| Purpose | Research |
| Objectives | The Beam Trawl Survey (BTS) survey is compulsory within the European Data Collection Framework (DCF) and part of the Belgian National Data Gathering Program, in fulfilment of the requirements of Council Regulation (EC) No 2017/1004.
The survey consists of 62 fixed trawl stations spread over the south-western North Sea. The time series of the Belgian BTS survey with a 4 m beam trawl with chain mats as standard gear started in 1992. At each station the tow time is 30 minutes at a speed of 4 knots against the tide. The specific objectives of the NS-BTS are: 1. Obtain fisheries-independent data on distribution and abundance of commercial flatfish species (at first mainly plaice and sole, but increasingly important are dab, flounder, lemon sole, turbot, brill). The data will be incorporated in the survey database DATRAS of the International Council for the Exploration of the Sea (ICES) and will be used in analytical population studies of these species/stocks, mainly serving as tuning indices in several stock assessments leading to the fishing TACs and quota. 2. Collection of biological data for ecosystem analysis purposes: - On all fish (including elasmobranchs) species, including length, age (for seven species) and catch weight measurements - On commercially important shellfish and cephalopod species (Nephrops norvegicus, Cancer pagurus, Hommarus gammarus, Loligo vulgaris, Loligo forbesii and Sepia officinalis), including length and catch weight measurements - On all epibenthic species, including count and catch weight measurements 3. Collection of marine litter by international standards 4. Collection of environmental data, such as surface temperature, salinity and bottom conductivity, temperature and depth profiles at each trawl station |
| Chief scientist | Heleen Raat (Institute for Agricultural and Fisheries Research, Ostend) |
| Cruise report |  (0.31 MB) |
| Ocean/sea areas | |
| General | North Sea |
| Specific | Southern North Sea |
| Track charts | (0.18 MB) |
