Marine

MRV Alba na Mara: Survey 0415A Programme

March 27, 2015 by Marine Directorate Communications No Comments | Category Compliance, Marine Directorate general, Marine Directorate Science, Research Vessel Surveys

Duration: 29 March – 17 April 2015

Fishing Gear: Scallop dredges

Objectives:

•  To carry out a survey of scallop stocks on the West Coast;
•  To assess shell damage on all scallops caught;
•  To collect information on by-catch of other commercial fish and shellfish species;
•  To identify and quantify numbers of starfish species in all dredge tows;
•  To collect data on scallop ring measurements;
•  To collect scallop meat weight biological data; and
•  To collect flesh samples for toxin analysis back at the laboratory.

Procedure:

Scallop dredge hauls will be made at sites used on previous surveys and other known commercial grounds as shown Figure 1. Hauls will be of 30 minutes duration. From each haul all of the scallops will be measured to the half centimeter below and aged. Numbers and size distribution of commercial fish and shellfish species will be recorded along with scallop shell damage and starfish numbers and species. From selected sites, scallop ring measurements shall be taken along with scallop meat weight information. In addition to this tissue samples will be collected from selected sites and frozen for toxin analysis back at the laboratory.

Figure 1: Scallop dredge haul sites

Comments