Marine Scotland Communications
Written 259 posts
Getting to know the Herring and Sprat
19th July 2019
MRV Scotia Survey: 0919S Programme Duration: 27 June – 19 July 2019 Sampling Gear: Midwater trawls PT160 x 3 Demersal trawl (BT237) Scanmar trawl eye sensor SIMRAD FS70 net sonde x 2 RBR-Concerto CTD with Dissolved Oxygen probe Water sampler for collecting water samples from bottom of CTD dips GoPro cameras x 2 with underwater…
Surveying in the Moray Firth Wind Farm Sites
17th July 2019
Marine Scotland Science (MSS) colleagues and University of Aberdeen (UoA) postgraduate students set sail on the Alba na Mara to undertake a multi-disciplinary survey within the Moray Firth wind farm sites from the 8th – 12th of June 2019. The aim of this survey was to characterise the distribution of the prey species (fish schools,…
Nephrops Burrowing Complexes; Part Two
28th June 2019
The Nephrops TV survey continued through the South Minch without any issues and experienced some impressive sunsets. Due to a poor weather forecast, the vessel made way for Stanton Bank a little earlier than originally planned and recovered/deployed a COMPASS mooring in the south of the region (which had an even larger squid cluster than…
Scallops, Starfish and Heavy Metal
24th June 2019
MRV Alba na Mara Survey: 1019A Programme Duration: 15 June – 04 July 2019 Fishing Gear: Scallop dredges Objectives: Carry out a survey of scallop stocks on the East Coast. Age, measure and assess shell damage on all scallops caught. Collect information on by-catch of other commercial fish and shellfish species. Identify and quantify numbers…
BOWLing for Prey Species
20th June 2019
MRV Alba na Mara Survey: 0919A Programme Duration: 8-12 June 2019 Equipment: Pelagic net PT 154; “Bongo” net plankton sampling equipment; Seabird SBE19 CTD; Water sampling mini-rosette; Sandeel dredge; Day grab and grab table; and EK 60 sounder. Location Names: Beatrice Offshore Wind farm Limited (BOWL); Moray East Offshore Wind farm (MEOW); and Moray West…
All Eyes on New Worm Species
18th June 2019
There’s a worm at the bottom of the sea – and it’s been discovered off the Scottish coast by a team of scientists from the Joint Nature Conservation Committee (JNCC), Marine Scotland Science (MSS) and Thomson Environmental Consultants. But this isn’t an ordinary worm – the newcomer has a unique anatomy with its eyes in…
Coastal Temperature Data Published on World Oceans Day
8th June 2019
As part of the Scottish Coastal Observatory, Marine Scotland and a group of dedicated volunteers record coastal water temperatures around Scotland. Today, on World Oceans Day, the coastal water temperature data from 14 monitoring locations are being published. The volunteer-based observing network works by the volunteers receiving a small self-recording temperature sensor every three months…
Smolts on the Sunbeam
23rd May 2019
Scientists from Marine Scotland Science (MSS) are currently undertaking a smolt survey aboard the Fraserburgh pelagic trawler Sunbeam (FR487). The survey runs from 10 – 19 May 2019. The main objective is to survey salmon and sea trout smolt migration routes at various points both inshore and offshore (approx. 45 nmiles) along the Scottish east…
Monks, Megs and More…
20th May 2019
The second leg of the Monkfish Survey (1219H) departed a sunny Scrabster on the MFV Genesis on Sunday 28th April. It was a 36 hour steam out to Rockall, which gave us plenty of time for some beauty sleep. We then began fishing on Tuesday in some fine, calm conditions. The aim of the survey…
Smolt Trawl Survey with the Sunbeam
16th May 2019
MFV Sunbeam FR487 Survey: 1419H Programme Duration: 10-19 May 2019 Scientific Gear: Smolt trawl, Thyboron type 15vf pelagic trawl doors (6m2), Dyneema sweep rig and Fenders (300mm diameter with 215kg buoyancy) attached four per side of the trawl. Video frame/box incorporating pit tag detector. Self-contained underwater camera systems. New Åkrehamn Trålbøteri fish-lift aquarium system incorporating…