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CRUISE RESULTS

FISHERIES ECOSYSTEMS ASSESSMENT
MARMAP SURVEY

Northeast Continental Shelf Ecosystem

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19 July to 2 August 1991

National Oceanographic and Atmospheric Administration

National Marine Fisheries Service

Northeast Fisheries Center

Woods Hole, Massachusetts

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CRUISE RESULTS

R/V ARGO MAINE

Cruise AM 91-01

Fisheries Ecosystems Assessment-MARMAP Survey

CRUISE PERIOD
AND AREA

The cruise period was from 19
July to 2 August, 1991. The area of
operations was the Northeast Shelf
Ecosystem from Cape Hatteras, North
Carolina to Nova Scotia (Figure 1). The
primary depth zone was from the 20- to
2,000-meter isobaths.

OBJECTIVES

This cruise was the first of the
resimied MARMAP cruises termed
Fisheries Ecosystem Assessment-
MARMAP Surveys, the objective of
which is a assess the impact of changing
biological and physical properties of the
NE Continental Shelf ecosystem which
influence the sustainable productivity of
the living marine resources. The July-
August survey was designed to measure
spatial and temporal changes in the
productivity of the waters of the NE
Shelf ecosystem, and to index the
changes in the ichthyoplankton and
zooplankton communities. Key
parameters measured were: water
column temperatures, salinities,
chlorophyll and nutrient concentrations;
light transmission, ichthyo- and
zooplankton composition, abundance
and distribution; underway near surface
chlorophyll concentration; and standard
weather observations. This cruise
initiated a reduced level of station
coverage compared to earlier MARMAP
surveys (1977-1986) from an average of
105 to 70 stations. An evaluation of the

effectiveness of this strategy was one of
the cruise's objectives. The major
alteration to the 1977-1987 sampling
protocol included towed-body sampling
with the Continuous Plankton Recorder
(CPR) between station transects; as well
as along new transects. The key station
transects were located off the major
estuaries and across areas of particular
importance (e.g., Georges Bank and the
Gulf of Maine) and suriace chlorophyll
measurements along the entire track of
the cruise.

Staff at the Nonheast Fisheries
Center Narragansett Laboratory will
work jointly with scientists at several
institutions in the analyses of the data as
follows: (a) chlorophyll, nutrient, and
light transmission-Bigelow Laboratory
for Ocean Sciences, Boothbay Harbor,
Maine; (b) water column temperature
and salinity-Northeast Fisheries Center,
Woods Hole, Massachusetts;
(c) phytoplankton and zooplankton-
Sorting Centers, Szczecin and Gdynia,
Poland; (d) ichthyoplankton-Northeast
Fisheries Center, Sandy Hook, New
Jersey; (e) meteorological data-National
Oceanic and Atmospheric
Administration, National Weather
Service, Washington, D.C.

METHODS

Plankton sampling gear consisted
of a 0.61-meter bongo frame fitted with
0.505-millimeter and 0.333-millimeter
mesh nets. A 45-kilogram ball was
attached beneath the frame to depress
the sampler, and a bathykymograph was

attached above the frame to record
sampling depth throughout the tow.
Digital flow meters were suspended
within the mouths of the bongo
samplers. Towing wire metering was
employed, but no wire angle
inclinometers were used. Tow speeds of
approximately 2 knots were maintained
by engaging and disengaging the vessel's
main drive. Plankton tows were made at
all stations along transects A through G
(Figure 1).

The Hardy Continuous Plankton
Recorder (CPR) was towed at a
standard depth of 10 meters. Towing
speed was 9 knots, and mesh aperture
was 225 X 234 microns, when wet. A
continuous record of the zooplankton
and larger phytoplankton was thus
obtained along transects L through Q
(Figure 2).

A CTD with rosette, fluorometer,
and transmissometer was deployed to
near bottom or a maximum depth of 250
m at all stations along transect A
through G. Temperature, salinity,
fluorescence, and light transmission data
were pressure averaged by one meter.
Water samples were taken at up to six
standard levels (2 m, 10 m, 30 m, 50 m,
75 m, and near bottom) depth
permitting, and samples were frozen for
subsequent nutrient analysis. Samples to
the standard depth of 75 m were filtered
and frozen for chlorophyll calibration
purposes, from one inshore, one
midshelf, and one offshore station on
each transect

Continuous measurement of
fluorescence at a depth of 2 m was
made using a flow-through fluorometer
connected in line with the ship's sea
water system for the entire cruise track.
During CPR towing no less than two,
water samples were taken from a depth
of 2 m, filtered, and frozen per day for
calibration purposes. Two-meter depth

water samples were taken at the ends of
the station transect for calibration
purposes. Surface temperature was
determined at each station with a stem
thermometer and bucket.

At each station the bottom depth,
wind speed and direction, air
temperature, wet bulb temperature,
atmospheric pressure, cloud type and
amount, and wave height were recorded.

RESULTS

A summary of the measurements
accomplished is given in Table 1.
Continuous plankton records were
obtained from 944 of the 1,000 desired
miles. This difference was due to the
entangling of a sandbar shark in the
drive mechanism of the CPR. All 70 of
the desired bongo tows were made.
CTD, nutrient and fluorescence data
were obtained from 66 of the 70 planned
stations. The power supply to the CTD
and rosette failed with 10 stations to go,
forcing a switch to a self contained CDT
and individual water bottles. Underway,
2-m fluorescence data were obtained
from the entire cruise track.

Preliminary processing of digital
data was done on board and plots of
temperature, salinity, sigma-t,
fluorescence, and light transmission
were prepared. Preliminary plots are
given in Appendix I. They are presently
undergoing quality control, and are, in
some cases, displayed in relative units.
Thus, they should be interpreted
accordingly.

Several conclusions can be drawn
from the preliminary examination of the
cruise results:

(a) A short station transect
should be added from the vicinity of
Provincetown, Massachusetts, to
Portland, Maine, to fill a gap in the
station array;

(b) XBT and surface salinity
deployments between the station tran-
sects (along the towing transects) would
greatly add to the utility of the survey
temperature and salinity coverage;

(c) Given the instrumentation
available on this cruise, such a survey
could be accomplished with two persons
per watch;

(d) The Northeast Fisheries
Center's equipment supply, of the kind
used on this cruise, is in need of repair
and some replenishment, particularly
with regard to rosette, water bottles, and
flow-throw fluorometer;

(e) Fourteen to 17 days seems
reasonable for the completion of such a
cruise of the ALBATROSS IV, and
usual weather.

SPECIAL NOTES

On 21 July the ARGO MAINE
offered assistance to a 24-foot
recreational fishing boat which was
disabled some 60 miles off the North
Carolina coast. Attempts to repair their
engine by the Chief Engineer failed.
The ARGO MAINE stood by for
approximately 7 hours until a Coast
Guard cutter out of Cape Hatteras
arrive to tow in the disabled boat.

A port call of approximately 30-
minutes at Narragansett, Rhode Island,
the night of 26 July to pick up the
license to conduct the cruise in
Canadian waters.

DISPOSITION OF DATA

Biological samples from the CPR
were delivered to the Narragansett,
Rhode Island, Laboratory for
preprocessing and forwarding to Gdynia,
Poland, for identification of
phytoplankton and zooplankton
components. Samples from the 0.6 1-m

bongo were delivered to the
Narragansett Laboratory for shipment to
Zaklad Sortowania i Oznaczania
Planktonu (ZSIOP), Szczecin, Poland,
for volume determinations, sorting,
identification and enumeration of
plankton community structure and
abundance. Chlorophyll and nutrient
samples were delivered to the
Narragansett Laboratory for
preprocessing and forwarding to the
University of Rhode Island for final
analysis. Water colunm fluorescence
and light transmission, and 2-m
fluorescence data were delivered to the
Narragansett Laboratory for processing.
The final fluorescence and nutrient data
will be forwarded to the Bigelow
Laboratory for analyses. CTD data were
delivered to the Narragansett Laboratory
for preprocessing and forwarding to the
Northeast Fisheries Center,
Oceanography Branch, Woods Hole, for
analysis.

SCIENTIFIC PERSONNEL

National Marine Fisheries Service.
NEFC. Narragansett. RI

Jack Jossi, Chief Scientist
Julien Goulet
Thomas McKenney
Thomas Pothoff
Jerry Prezioso

Maine Maritime Academy. Castine ME

George Gatcomb

«««««*«s«»***«»«««s«sss*«**««««««««*

For further information contact: Jack W.
Jossi, National Marine Fisheries Service,
Northeast Fisheries Center,
Narragansett, RI 02882.
Telephone-(401)782-3274.

• 4-

Table 1. Suitimary of Station Activities,

Sta

Tran-
sect

Station Activities

with number of measurements or samples per station^

Water Column
6B3 6B5 CTD NUT CHL FLU TRN

Surface
CHL SAL

Ten-Meter
CPR CPR CPR
SHT ALT HAU

1

2

3

4

5

6

7

8

9
10
11
12
13
14
15
16
17
18
19
20
21
22
23
24
25
26
27
28
29
30
31
32
33
34
35
36
37
38
39
40
41
42
43
44

45

L

L

L

L

L

A

A

A

A

A

A
A,M
B,M

B

B

B

B

B

B
B,N

N
C,N

C

C

C

C

C

C
C,0

D,0

D

D

D

D

D

D

D

P

P

P

P

P

P
P

c
c
c
c
c
c
c
c
c
c
c
c
c
c
c

c
c
c
c
c
c
c
c

c
c
c

c
c

c

c
c

c
c
c
c
c
c
c
c
c
c
c
c
c
c
c

c
c
c
c
c
c
c
c

c
c
c
c
c
c
c
c

c
c
c

c
c
c
c
c
c
c
c
c
c
c
c

c
c
c
c
c
c
c
c

c
c
c
c

c
c
c
c

6
6

4
3
3
3
2
6
6
6
4
4
3
3
2

6
6
6
5
5
4
3
3

6
6
6
6
5
4
4
3

5
3

2

5

2

5

2
6

c
c
c
c

c
c
c
c
c
c
c
c
c
c
c

c

c
c
c
c
c
c
c

c
c
c
c
c
c
c
c

c

c
c
c
c
c
c
c
c
c
c
c
c
c
c

c
c
c
c
c
c
c
c

c

c
c
c
c
c
c
c

c

c

c

c

c

c

c

c

c

c

c

c

c

c

c

c

c

c

c

c

c

c

c

c

c

c

c

c

c

c

c

c

c

c

c

c

c

c

c

c

c

c

c

c

1
1

1
1

c

c

339

95

129

150

c
c

c
c
c
c

•5-

Sta|Tran-j Station Activities

with number of measurements

or samples per station

Water Column
6B3 6B5 CTD NUT CHL FLU TRN

46
47
48
49
50
51
52
53
54
55
56
57
58
59
60
61
62
63
64
65
66
67
68
69
70
[71
72
73
74
75
76
77
78
79
80
81
82
83
84
85
86
87

Q

Q

G

G

G

G

G

G

G

G

G

G

G

G

F

F

F

F

F

F

F

F

F

F

F

F

F

E

E

E

E

E

E

E

E

E

E

E

E

E

E

c

c

c

c

c

c

c

c

c

c

c

c

c

c

c

c

c

c

c

c

c

c

c

c

c

c

c

c

c

c

c

c

c

c

c

c

c

c

c

c

c

c

c

c

c

c

c

c

c

c

c

c

c

c

c

c

c

c

c

c

c

c

c

c

c

c

c

c

c

c

c

c

c

c

c

c

c

c

c
c
c
c
c
c
c
c
c
c
c
c
c
c
c
c
c
c
c
c
c
c
c
c
c
c
c

c
c

c
c
c

5
5
6
5
5
6
6
6
5
6
6
6
6
6
5
5
3
4
3
6
6
6
6
6
5
6
6

4

4

4

4
4
4
4
4

3
5

4
5

4
4
4
4
4

c
c
c
c
c
c
c
c
c
c
c
c
c
c
c
c
c
c
c
c
c
c
c
c
c
c
c

c
c
c
c
c
c
c
c
c
c
c
c
c
c
c
c
c
c
c
c
c
c
c
c
c
c
c

Sur
CHL

c
c

c

c

c

c

c

c

c

c

c

c

c

c

c

c

c

c

c

c

c

c

c

c

c

c

c

c

c

c

c

c

c

c

c

c

c

c

c

c

c

c

face
SAL

Ten-Meter

CPR CPR CPR

SHT ALT HAU

c 225

c

135

1
1

1
1
1
1
1
1
1
4

j Sta

Tran-
sect

Activities Totals }

Water Column | Surface

6B3 6B5 CTD NUT CHL FLU TRN | CHL SAL

1
1

Ten-Meter j
CPR CPR CPR 1
SHT ALT HAU !

|87

13

70 70 66 318 100 66 66 c 27

9441

Legend:

6B3 =

6B5=

CTD=

NUT=

CHL=

TRN=

SAL=

CPR

SHT=

CPR

ALT=

CPR

HAU=

C=

60 cm Bongo, 33 3 micron mesh samples

60 cm Bongo, 505 micron mesh samples

conductivity, temperature, depth samples

standard depth nutrient samples

chlorophyll samples

light transmission samples

salinity samples

■■ launch (shoot) Continuous Plankton Recorder (CPR)

• course change (altered course) during CPR tow

■ haul CPR

continuous sampling, e.g., surface to near bottom Bongo tow,
or underway, flow-through fluorometer

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APPENDIX I
PRELIMINARY DATA PORTRAYALS

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