The oceanographic vessel Vizconde de Eza, from the General Secretariat of Fisheries, set sail on July 6, from the port of Vigo to start a new series, number 34, of the Flemish Cap bank fisheries research campaign, in the Northwest Atlantic , in order to know the demersal resources of the area.
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The tasks to be carried out in the 3M Division of the NAFO regulation area (Northwest Atlantic Fisheries Organization) are intended to obtain information on the status of the populations of the most outstanding species for the fleet that operates in the area, determining abundance, biomass and demographic structure, as well as oceanographic conditions of the Flemish Cap Bank up to a depth of 1460 meters.
Throughout the development of the campaign with intense activity on board the vessel, data on catches, size distribution, biological parameters, otoliths and gonads will be collected, as well as stomach contents and samples for growth and reproduction studies.
Work in the area will begin on July 12 and will last for a month. The Vizconde de Eza is scheduled to dock back in the port of Vigo on August 18.
The main target species are cod, redfish, flounder, halibut, grenadier and shrimp. Invertebrate species present in the captures will also be identified and recorded to characterize the deepest communities in the area, in addition to recording oceanographic conditions of the water column. All this accompanied by image monitoring to quantify the most important captures.
These bottom trawling campaigns are one of the main methods of direct study of the exploited fishing stocks, which derive from the need to obtain independent data on the fishing activity for the correct management of the target populations in different cauldrons.
The information obtained during this campaign is used by the NAFO Scientific Council to evaluate the fishing resources of interest to the Spanish fleet, as well as in various biological and ecological studies.
This is the thirty-fourth edition of the series of fisheries research campaigns on the Flemish Cap bank, started in 1988, fundamental for fisheries and environmental management, which is co-financed by the EU through the European Maritime and Fisheries Fund ( FEMP).
With its development, the commitments acquired at the European level are fulfilled through the national program for the collection, management and use of data from the fishing sector and support for scientific advice in relation to the common fisheries policy.
The oceanographic vessels Emma Bardán, Miguel Oliver and Vizconde de Eza, carry out each year more than 500 research days in campaigns both nationally and internationally, embarking teams of scientists who evaluate the state of the fisheries with the objective of Maximum Yield Sustainable.
The Viscount of Eza, chosen to carry out this campaign, is one of the most sophisticated fisheries and oceanographic research vessels in the world.
With 53m in length and 13m in beam, its dynamic positioning system allows it to stay in the same point without changing its position, compensating for adverse conditions of waves, currents or wind.
The ship is a large floating research center, as it has specialized laboratories (biology, physics, acoustics, humid and computer science) equipped with advanced scientific instrumentation. Its hull, reinforced in the bow, allows it to work between floating ice. It can also carry out fundus surveys up to 5,000 meters deep. ■