FV Altaire 0322H
Cruise summary report
| Cruise Info. | |
| Ship name (ship code) | FV Altaire (746A) |
| Cruise identifier | 0322H |
| Cruise period | 2022-07-04 — 2022-07-26 |
| Status | Completed |
| Port of departure | Ullapool, United Kingdom |
| Port of return | Ullapool, United Kingdom |
| Purpose | Research |
| Objectives | Objectives
1. To carry out Atlantic mackerel (Scomber scombrus) and horse mackerel (Trachurus trachurus) egg survey (ICES Triennial Survey) within sampling Period 7 of the 2022 PMEGS sampling plan, across the NE Atlantic shelf edge in the area from 46N to 58.5N. 2. To collect ovary and oocyte samples from adult fish, by trawling, for atresia and fecundity analysis back at MSS. 3. Successful retrieval of an acoustic mooring deployed in the Stanton Banks area as part of the INTERREG COMPASS project. Narrative Altaire arrived in Ullapool at around 1100 on 4 July with MSS staff joining the vessel around midday. Loading of the container together with setting up of the samplers and also the scientific gear was straightforward and completed in good time and Altaire was able to depart from Ullapool at 1700. Subsequent to completion of two sets of calibration runs undertaken in Loch Broom, Altaire proceeded south and through the Minch and onto the first station west of Donegal at 54o45N 9o15W. Sampling commenced at 2030 on 5 July and from there Altaire continued west on the 54o45N transect and over the shelf edge before cutting back southeast to commence a long westerly transect at 54o15N 10o45W. The vessel skirted over the northern edge of the Porcupine Bank (see Figure 1) and as far west as 54o15N 14o45W before dropping down half a degree and returning back East on the 53o45N transect and over and onto Porcupine Bank before dropping down again at 12o45W. This pattern was repeated until finally at just after noon on 9 July and having completed the last station of the transect at 52o45N 12o45W Altaire headed SSE before completing a short easterly transect across the Porcupine Seabight at 51o45N before dropping down and surveying eastwards once more, past Fastnet Rock and along the southern coast of Ireland. It was on this long transect at 51o15N 08o45N that the first thermocline was encountered and with settled conditions continuing as Altaire surveyed south this pattern continued with the majority of the stations completed on the continental shelf within the Celtic Sea and Northern Biscay area (see Figure 1). Excellent progress was made with further transects completed between the 13-15 July along the edge and continental shelf west of the Brittany Coast with the transect at 48o15N becoming the southern survey boundary. Once completed Altaire then completed the ‘missed’ transects at 47o45N and 48o45N prior to heading into Falmouth during early evening on 17 July for the mid cruise break. Altaire departed 24 hours later and headed due west on the 49o45N transect as far as 10o45W. Altaire surveyed North from here interlacing with the transects completed during the outbound leg, firstly up and past the West of Ireland and then criss-crossing up and along the edge of the Hebridean shelf whilst taking a short detour to retrieve a COMPASS acoustic mooring located on Stanton Bank. The last station was completed NW of the Butt of Lewis at 52o45N 06o45W on the early evening of 25 July and from here Altaire set a course for Ullapool and was alongside by 0800 on 26 July. Unloading of all the scientific equipment including the sampling container and the wire was completed by midday on the same day. All scientific kit plus scientists were transported back to Aberdeen by late afternoon of the same day. |
| Chief scientist | Finlay Burns (Marine Scotland Aberdeen Marine Laboratory), Helen Holah (Marine Scotland Aberdeen Marine Laboratory) |
| Cruise programme |  (0.07 MB) |
| Cruise report | (1.11 MB) |
| Ocean/sea areas | |
| General | Celtic Sea Bay of Biscay North East Atlantic Ocean (limit 40W) |
| Specific | NE Atlantic shelf edge, west of UK and Ireland |
