Written 0 posts

MRV Alba na Mara: Survey 0117A Programme

2nd January 2017

Duration: 4-20 January 2017 Gear: Large TV drop frame; TV sledge; 1 x 600m umbilical towing cable; 1 x armoured cable; Video cameras and associated equipment (plus backup); Four lasers and 60cm bracket for the drop frame; 1 x BT201 prawn trawl (plus minimal spares); Day grab and table; Prawn sorting table; and Go Pro…

Read more

A Very Fortunate Find

23rd December 2016

Recently, as part of the East Coast Marine Mammal Acoustic Study (ECOMMAS), some colleagues were out on the research vessel Alba na Mara to retrieve acoustic detectors; devices deployed and retrieved which help to build a picture of dolphin and porpoise population distribution. During the trip they searched for one particular mooring, approximately 5 km…

Read more

MRV Alba na Mara: Survey 2316A Programme

12th December 2016

Duration: 8-21 December 2016 Equipment: Sandeel dredge × 2 (modified 4′ scallop dredge with 6″ teeth and spare toothbars) with towing bar and camera attachment. TV camera. Minilogger (or equivalent – i.e. DST). Objectives: To determine the abundance, length and age of sandeels in the sediment from regions east of the Firth of Forth and…

Read more

MRV Alba na Mara: Survey 2216A Programme

8th December 2016

Duration: 2-6 December 2016 Sampling Gear: BT 158 with 50 mm cod-end; 2 m beam trawl with 50 mm cod-end; Day grab and table; and Catamaran and manta neuston net. Objectives: To undertake flatfish sampling in St Andrews Bay, inner Firth of Forth, outer Firth of Forth and the Forth estuary in support of the…

Read more

MRV Alba na Mara Survey 2116A programme

28th November 2016

Duration: 17-30 November 2016 Gear: Surface and subsurface PAM moorings Objectives: To retrieve a series of moorings comprising dhan buoys (seven surface marked moorings) or acoustic release systems (23 subsurface moorings) and the acoustic recording devices attached to them (30 C-POD and 10 SM2M/SM3M) as part of the east coast marine mammal monitoring programme (see…

Read more

MRV Scotia Survey 1716S programme

25th November 2016

Duration: 17 November – 7 December 2016 Fishing Gear: GOV Trawl (BT137) and ground gear D (hoppers). Objectives: To participate in the ICES co-ordinated western division demersal trawling survey. To obtain temperature and salinity data profiles at each trawling position. To collect additional biological data in connection with the EU data collection framework (DCF). Procedures:…

Read more

MRV Scotia Survey 1616S Programme

22nd November 2016

Duration: 5-14 November 2016 Fishing Gear: PT160 pelagic trawl; BT237 new Jackson high standing demersal trawl fully rigged with 350mm rockhopper ground gear and 200mm floats; 1 Set Thyboron ‘flapper’ trawl doors; and 1 set GOV polyvalent trawl doors. Objectives: To establish a fishing protocol to fish the PT160 trawl close to the surface and…

Read more

MRV Scotia Survey 1516S Programme

18th November 2016

Duration: 14 October – 3 November 2016 Fishing gear: Day grabs; TV drop frame with lasers (including rectangular footprint); armoured cable; Swathe multibeam echosounder system; RoxAnn system; Scout System; and smolt trawl. Objectives: To undertake bathymetric and ground-truthing survey work in connection with offshore oil and gas pipelines associated with the Brent facilities. To undertake…

Read more

An Award Winning Partnership

11th November 2016

A working group, consisting of colleagues from Marine Scotland, Orkney Islands Council and the Highland Council, has received an award in the ‘Partnership’ category of the Scottish Awards for Quality in Planning (SAQP). The award recognised the work of the group, in developing the pilot Pentland Firth and Orkney Waters Marine Spatial Plan, and was…

Read more

First UK Assessment of Underwater Noise Published by UK Research Partnership

10th November 2016

The Centre for the Environment, Fisheries and Aquaculture Science (Cefas) has teamed up with Marine Scotland Science and the University of Exeter to analyse underwater noise data from subsea sound recorders located around the UK coast. The results of the Defra-funded study have now been published in an article titled Underwater noise levels in UK…

Read more