RV Cefas Endeavour 03A/23
Cruise summary report
| Cruise Info. | |
| Ship name (ship code) | RV Cefas Endeavour (74E9) |
| Cruise identifier | 03A/23 |
| Cruise period | 2023-02-22 — 2023-03-10 |
| Status | Completed |
| Port of departure | Swansea, United Kingdom |
| Port of return | Falmouth, United Kingdom |
| Purpose | Research |
| Objectives | Primary Aims
1. To carry out an otter trawl survey of the demersal fisheries resources in the Celtic Sea and western English Channel using a Jackson light hopper otter trawl (JTS610) in order to collect appropriate data to inform assessments of the fish stocks and fish assemblages in the area. The main aims are to collect relevant data on the: a) Distribution, size composition and abundance of all fish and shellfish species caught; b) Age–length distribution of commercially important fish species; c) Individual length, weight, sex and maturity information for commercial fish species (in support of the EU Data Collection Group); d) Distribution of macrobenthos, gelatinous zooplankton and anthropogenic debris; e) Surface and bottom temperature and salinity data using CTD and oceanographic data using ESM2. 2. To collect multibeam data and fisheries acoustic data at three operating frequencies (38, 120 & 200 kHz) continuously throughout the survey. Secondary Aims 3. Tag and release specimens of starry smooth-hound Mustelus asterias, spurdog Squalus acanthias, tope Galeorhinus galeus, common blue skate Dipturus batis and flapper skate Dipturus intermedius, blonde ray Raja brachyura and cuckoo ray Leucoraja naevus, in support of the ICES Working Group for Elasmobranch Fishes, to inform on stock units for demersal elasmobranchs. 4. To freeze any unusual fish species for subsequent identification / verification in the laboratory, including specimens of eelpout Zoarces, Lycodes and Lycenchelys, sea scorpions Cottidae (Subarea 4a only), and any unusual fish species, which may also be used in otolith research. 5. To retain any dead specimens of tope Galeorhinus galeus and common skate D. batis and D. intermedius for biological studies. 6. Collect additional data from dead skates and rays (males: testes weight and outer clasper length; females: ovary weight and shell gland width) and collect a section of vertebral column comprising ca. 6-8 vertebrae from that part overlying the body cavity; samples to be kept frozen as part of Defra project C8503 to improve the methodology to assess finfish, pelagic, data-limited, and non-quota stocks. 7. Retain any dead specimens of shad Alosa alosa and A. fallax and lamprey Petromyzon marinus and Lampetra fluviatilis for biological studies. 8. Cetacean observations will be recorded where possible and sent to the Sea Watch Foundation. 9. Collect, retain, and filter surface water samples from Ferrybox underway water supply every 12 hours (or once a day) for subsequent chlorophyll sampling from 1st March 2023, in support of SLA25. 10. Collect queen scallops (queenies) Aequipecten opercularis to allow for experimental work on ageing, for L/W relationship analysis, development of length to height parameters and, to provide specimens to Bangor University for further work which will be made available to ICES WGScallop. 11. Genomic sampling of selected to study population genomics as part of the Defra project C8503 to improve methodology to assess finfish, pelagic, data limited and non-quota stocks. 12. Retain examples of mackerel Scomber scombrus for sampling training on shore. Narrative in attached cruise report. |
| Chief scientist | Benjamin Hatton (Centre for Environment, Fisheries and Aquaculture Science Lowestoft Laboratory), Louise Straker Cox (Centre for Environment, Fisheries and Aquaculture Science Lowestoft Laboratory) |
| Cruise report |  (1.61 MB) |
| Ocean/sea areas | |
| General | English Channel Irish Sea and St. George's Channel Bristol Channel Celtic Sea |
| Specific | Western English Channel, Bristol Channel, Celtic Sea, Irish Sea (ICES areas VIIe-VIIh) |
