Bundesforschungsanstalt für Fischerei
Institut für Seefischerei
Palmaille 9, 22767 Hamburg ] Tel. 38905 179 ] Fax 38905 263 ] 12.11.2003 ] Az.: Dr.Ehr./1985
WH254bre.doc
„WALTHER HERWIG III"
Cruise 254
REPORT 22.07. – 17.08.2003
Personnel
Name Institution Part
1. Dr. Siegfried Ehrich ISH-BFA I 2. Dipl. Oz. Peter Cornus ISH-BFA II 3. Svenja Cummerow ISH-BFA I + II 4. Wiebke Mohr ISH-BFA I + II 5. Sascha Bednarz ISH-BFA I + II 6. Ingo Wilhelms ISH-BFA I 7. Sandra Löhndorf EU-DG14 II 8. Dipl.-Biol. Sonja Terraschke ISH-BFA I + II 9. Dipl.-Biol. Jens Ulleweit ISH-BFA I + II 10. Dr. Ingrid Kröncke Forsch. Senckenberg I + II 11. Hermann Neumann Forsch. Senckenberg I + II 12. Dipl.-Biol. Henning Reiss Forsch. Senckenberg I + II 13. Erich Marschmann ISH-BFA II 14. Bastian Kulschewski ISH-BFA I+II
15. Dr. Gerhard Rech BMVEL I; until 24.7.03
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 ICES-Project MAFCONS) Narrative (Fig. 1)
With one day delay the scientific programme started in the morning of 22th of July at ICES-rectangle 36F6.
During the next 5 days 19 rectangles were monitored by taking samples of fish, water (nutrients,
temperature, salinity) and benthic epi- and infauna (Tab. 1). The vessel than worked for 2 days in box C and another 3 days in box L, before it sailed to Bergen/Norway to have a two days break.
In the evening of the 4th of August W. Herwig III left Bergen and stayed for 3 days each in the boxes M, D, B, and A, only interrupted by one day fishing in 4 ICES-rectangles in the German Bight. The scientific program ended on the 16th of August. The 'W. Herwig III' docked at Bremerhaven on Friday, the 17th of August 2003.
Tab. 1: Activities (stations) during the cruise
area GOV-trawl Hydro-Sonde nutrients 2m-beam-trawl v. Veen grab
Box A 20 14 9 8 26
Box B 21 15 6 9 30
Box C 14 10 4 6 21
Box D 21 15 9 9 30
Box L 21 15 6 9 30
Box M 21 15 9 9 30
ICES-rectangles 23 23 23 23 115
total 141 107 66 73 282
Results (Tab. 1 and Figs. 2-7)
A total of 141 half an hour and valid hauls were made using the GOV trawl equipped with the standard ground gear, of which 118 hauls were carried out in the boxes to monitor changes in species compositions and 23 hauls in different ICES-rectangles as part of the IBTS Q3 survey, mainly within the German Bight.
At 107 stations salinity, temperature and at 66 stations nutrients were measured. Epibenthos was sampled by a 2m beam-trawl at 73 stations and 282 grab samples were taken to sample 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 ICES to make these data available 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 Dipl.-Oz. P. Cornus
a re a s :
5 2
6 2 ° E 5E 6E 7E 8E 9F 0F 1 F 2F 3 F 4F 5 F 6F 7 F 8F 9 G 0
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. 254. 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 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 2003 (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
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 2003 (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 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 2003 (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 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 2003 (summer)
0 200 400 600 800 1000 1200 1400 1600 1800 2000
1999 2001 2002 2003
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 2003 (summer)
0 200 400 600 800 1000 1200 1400
1999 2001 2002 2003
year
mean catch rate (kg/30min)
others Norway pout herring mackerel saithe whiting haddock cod Box M
