Duration:  2 to 22 December 2024

Cruise area:  North Sea (German Exclusive Economic Zone)

Purpose:  Recording the near-bottom fish fauna

In the long-term planned series of trips, a qualitative and quantitative survey of the near-bottom fish fauna (fauna = animals) in the German Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ) of the North Sea has been taking place since 2004. With the exception of two outlying stations, the majority of the fishing stations are distributed over the entire area of the EEZ and the coastal sea. They are orientated towards the water depth and the location of eight eco-zones, which are predominantly defined by the benthic communities (benthos = bottom-dwelling organisms). In conjunction with the results of studies of the benthic invertebrate fauna (invertebrates have no vertebral column) by other research institutes, possible changes due to increasing industrialisation (wind farms, sand and gravel extraction) are to be demonstrated.

The tasks of the cruise include:

• Fisheries biology studies: The programme focuses on monitoring the demersal fish fauna in the EEZ, with particular emphasis on stock studies of the gadids cod and whiting and the flatfish plaice and dab.
• Hydrographic survey of the study area: The measurements of temperature and salinity are intended to provide background information for the observed distribution and behaviour patterns of the fish communities encountered.