Bundesforschungsanstalt für Fischerei
Institut für Seefischerei
Palmaille 9, 22767 Hamburg ] Tel. 38905 179 ] Fax 38905 263 ] 9.9.2004 ] Az.: Dr.Ehr./2129
WH266bre.doc
„WALTHER HERWIG III"
Cruise 266
REPORT 26.07. – 26.08.2004
Personnel
Name Institution
1. Dr. Siegfried Ehrich ISH-BFA 2. Ingo Wilhelms ISH-BFA 3. Svenja Cummerow ISH-BFA 4. Vanessa Stelzenmüller ISH-BFA 5. Sascha Bednarz ISH-BFA
6. Leif Horak ISH-BFA
7. Christoph Conrad ISH-BFA 8. Michael Weinert ISH-BFA 9. Andrea Braunshausen ISH-BFA
10. Dr. Ingrid Kröncke Forsch. Senckenberg 11. Hermann Neumann Forsch. Senckenberg 12. Dipl.-Biol. Henning Reiss Forsch. Senckenberg 13. Melanie Kruppe ISH-BFA
Objectives
1. To participate in the ICES co-ordinated 'International Bottom Trawl Survey' in the North Sea, 3. quarter 2. Biological monitoring of the fish fauna in 6 small areas (boxes)
3. Distribution of temperature, salinity and nutrients in the area of investigation 4. Monitoring of the benthic epi- and infauna in the boxes and in the German Bight
(as part of the EU-Project MAFCONS) Narrative (Fig. 1)
W. Herwig III left Bremerhaven the 26th of July 2004. The scientific programme started next morning at ICES-rectangle 36F6. During the next 3 days 11 rectangles were monitored by taking samples of fish, water (nutrients, temperature, salinity) and benthic epi- and partly infauna (Tab. 1). The vessel than worked for 3 days near Box A (MAFCONS-program) before starting the work at boxes C, L and M (3 days each, list of activities see Tab. 1). After a two days break in Lerwick (Shetlands) the standard programme was continued at boxes D and B. After one day fishing in 4 ICES-rectangles in the German Bight and 4 days in Box A
where the scientific program ended, the 'W. Herwig III' docked at Bremerhaven on Thursday, the 26th of August 2004.
Tab. 1: Activities (stations) during the cruise
area GOV-hauls CTD nutrients 2m-beamtrawl v.Veen grab
Box A 27 20 4 12 60
Box B 21 15 3 9 9
Box C 21 15 3 9 9
Box D 21 15 3 9 9
Box L 19 15 3 13 9
Box M 21 15 3 9 9
ICES-rectangles 23 23 23 23 43
MAFCONS 13 13 6 13 65
total 166 131 48 97 213
Results (Tab. 1 and Figs. 2-7)
A total of 166 half an hour and valid hauls were made using the GOV trawl equipped with the standard ground gear, of which 130 hauls were carried out in the boxes to monitor changes in species compositions, 23 hauls in different ICES-rectangles as part of the IBTS Q3 survey, mainly within the German Bight and 13 additional hauls for the EU-project MAFCONS. At 131 stations salinity, temperature and at 48 stations nutrients were measured. Epibenthos was sampled by a 2m beam-trawl at 97 stations and 213 grab samples were taken to investigate the benthic infauna.
The preliminary number at age data for the recruiting year-classes of the commercial important species and the catch data were submitted to the co-ordinator of the IBTS-Q3 survey and ICES resp. to make these data available to the ICES assessment working groups within due time.
Fig. 1 shows the area of investigation. The mean species compositions in the 6 boxes and the variability within the time periods are shown in Figs.2 to 7.
Dr. S. Ehrich
areas:
5 2E 5E 6E 7E 8E 9F 0F 1 F 2F 3 F 4F 5F 6 F 7 F 8F 9 G 06 2 °
4 4
5 9
3 6 4 8
4 0
3 2 5 0
4 2 5 7
3 4 5 3
4 6
3 8 5 5
3 0 2 9
5 1
5 0 ° 5 1
4 3
5 8
3 5 4 7
3 9
3 1 4 9
6 1
4 1 5 6
3 3
5 2 4 5
6 0
3 7 5 4
5 ° W4 3 2 1 0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 1 0 1 1 ° E
D
L M
B
C
A
Fig. 1: „Walther Herwig III“. Cruise no. 266. Area of investigation and boxes
0 200 400 600 800 1000 1200 1400 1600 1800 2000
1987 1988 1989 1990 1991 1992 1993 1994 1995 1996 1997 1998 1999 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 year
mean catch rate (kg/30min)
others sprat scad mackerel herring whiting cod plaice dab Box A
Fig. 2: Box A: German Bight: Main species composition (kg/30min) from 1987 to 2004 (summer)
0 200 400 600 800 1000 1200 1400 1600 1800 2000
1987 1988 1989 1990 1991 1992 1993 1994 1995 1996 1997 1998 1999 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 year
mean catch rate (kg/30min)
others sprat mackerel herring whiting haddock cod dab
Box B
Fig. 3: Box B. English coast. Main species composition (kg/30min)
from 1987 to 2004 (summer)
0 50 100 150 200 250 300 350 400 450
1987 1988 1989 1990 1991 1992 1993 1994 1995 1996 1997 1998 1999 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 year
mean catch rate (kg/30min)
others herring whiting haddock cod dab Box C
Fig. 4: Box C. Danish coast. Main species composition (kg/30min) from 1986 to 2004 (summer)
0 500 1000 1500 2000 2500 3000 3500
1986 1987 1988 1989 1990 1991 1992 1993 1994 1995 1996 1997 1998 1999 2001 2002 2003 2004 year
mean catch rate (kg/30min)
others mackerel herring Norway pout whiting haddock cod
lemon sole dab
Box D
Fig. 5: Box D. Scottish coast. Main species composition (kg/30min)
from 1986 to 2004 (summer)
0 200 400 600 800 1000 1200 1400 1600 1800 2000
1999 2001 2002 2003 2004
year
mean catch rate (kg/30min)
others herring mackerel saithe whiting haddock Box L
Fig. 6: Box L. Norwegian coast. Main species composition (kg/30min) in 1999 and from 2001 to 2004 (summer)
0 200 400 600 800 1000 1200 1400
1999 2001 2002 2003 2004
year
mean catch rate (kg/30min)
others Norway pout herring mackerel saithe whiting haddock Box M
