asked the Minister for Foreign Affairs the number of permissions given to foreign research vessels in 1983 and 1984, the name and country of origin of each vessel, the purpose of the cruise, whether there was an Irish observer on board, and if a report on the cruise was subsequently received in each case.
Written Answers. - Foreign Research Vessels.
478.
The Department of Foreign Affairs granted permission to 45 foreign research cruises to operate in waters under Irish jurisdiction in 1983 and to 49 in 1984. These vessels came from the following countries: Great Britain, Federal Republic of Germany, France, Netherlands, Norway, USA, USSR, Poland and the Faroe Islands (Denmark). They carried out research in the following categories: fisheries resource evaluation; benthic ecology — environmental; oceanography; marine geology; geophysics; pollution monitoring; hydrography; and fishing gear evaluation. A detailed breakdown of each of these cruises providing the names of the vessel, the country of origin and the purpose of the cruise is given below.
When the research being carried out is considered of particular national interest or importance, arrangements are made in accordance with standard international practice to include an Irish Scientific observer aboard and the attached list also indicates on which cruises an observer was present. Cruise reports are, however, always requested when authorisation for a research cruise is being granted. Delays are frequently experienced in receiving these reports. However, it will be appreciated that the processing of the scientific data necessary to the preparation of reports can involve a considerable amount of time.
Foreign Research Cruises in 1983
(Chronological Order)
|
Vessel |
Nationality |
Purpose of Cruise |
Observer |
|
Walter Her |
Fed. Rep. Germany |
Stock Assessment of Commercial Fish. Hydrographic Study. |
|
|
Challenger |
UK |
Surveying Demersal Fish Populations on UPR Slope Regions of Porcupine Seabight. |
Yes |
|
Challenger |
UK |
Physical Oceanography of Continental slope, employing current meters, pressure gauges, and CTD profiles. |
|
|
Scotia |
UK |
Stock assessment studies on cod, haddock, whiting; recruitment and distribution, trawling. |
|
|
Walter Her |
Fed. Rep. Germany |
Part of ICES coordinated research. Distribution, migration and biology of herring, mackerel, blue whiting, etc. |
|
|
Tridens |
Netherlands |
Technical research on meshes resistance geometry of bottom trawls; observation of fish behaviour. |
|
|
Michael SA |
Norway |
Studies on blue whiting, stock assessment, echo surveying: pelagic and bottom trawling. |
Yes |
|
G. A. Reay |
UK |
Blue whiting stock assessment; handling, processing and preservation of fish; trawling. |
|
|
Cirolana |
UK |
Stock assessment studies on mackerel trawling and plankton CTD profiling. |
Yes |
|
Anton Dohr |
Fed. Rep. Germany |
Investigate abundance and distribution of pelagic fish. Programme coordinated by ICES. |
Yes |
|
Persey III |
USSR |
Blue whiting stock assessment; Hydrological investigations of water masses. |
Yes |
|
G. A. Reay |
UK |
Catch, process and freeze horse mackerel. |
|
|
El Djarn |
Norway |
Stock assessment of blue whiting by acoustics and trawling. Studies on squid stocks and fishing methods. |
|
|
Challenger |
UK |
Investigation of rapid sedimentation of phyto-plankton to deep sea floor. |
Yes |
|
Gorsethorn |
UK |
Geological mapping of boundary zone of shelf; gravity, bathymetry, seismics. |
|
|
Cirolana |
UK |
Seawater, sediment, and plankton sampling. |
|
|
Scotia |
UK |
Mackerel egg survey for stock abundance and recruitment studies, plankton trawls and CTD profiling. |
Yes |
|
Walter Her |
Fed. Rep. Germany |
Fish stock evaluation on continental slope and Rockall Trough. Part of ICES mackerel egg survey. |
|
|
Tridens |
Netherlands |
Mackerel egg survey, part of ICES study in N.E. Atlantic. Plankton, CTD, Gulf III sampler. |
|
|
Charter VE |
Norway |
Fisheries resource evaluation: mackerel tagging, CTD profiling. |
Yes |
|
La Pelagia |
France |
Stock assessment/Exploratory fishing of Nephrops. |
|
|
Challenger |
UK |
Oceanography of Rockall Channel and Continental Slope W. Deployment and Retrieval of current meters etc. |
|
|
Cirolana |
UK |
Mackerel egg survey to estimate size of fish stock. Plankton survey and CTD profiling. |
Yes |
|
Frederick R |
UK |
Phytoplankton growth in relation to physical stability of the water column; CTD profiling. |
|
|
Scotia |
UK |
Stock assessment study on mackerel. Part of ICES mackerel stock assessment. CTD profiling and plankton. |
|
|
Thalassa |
France |
Evaluation Du Stock De Geniteurs. Communications presentees au CIEM. (Mackerel working group.) |
|
|
Cirolana |
UK |
Oceanography at sites on Rockall Bank, Porcupine Bank, Iberian Abyssal Plain. Colonisation studies at dump site. |
Yes |
|
G. A. Reay |
UK |
Extention of plankton surveys from 1977. Study of distribution of larval and juvenile mackerel. |
|
|
Kay |
UK |
Seismic profiling, geological bedrock sampling, rotary drilling on sea floor, side scan sonar. |
|
|
HMS Fox |
UK |
Survey of banks and shoals close to shore. |
|
|
Clione |
UK |
Ground fish survey; otter trawl; plankton nets. |
|
|
Frederick R |
UK |
Phytoplankton growth in relation to physical stability of water column. Chloropyll; CTD Profiling. |
|
|
G. A. Reay |
UK |
Assessment of fish stocks of demersal fish on Rockall Bank. |
|
|
Challenger |
UK |
Oceanography of Rockall Channel and Continental Slope West of Scotland. CTD & Chlorophyll Sampling. |
|
|
Tridens |
Netherlands |
Technical research on mackerel trawls and other gear; fish behaviour. |
|
|
Anton Dohr |
Fed. Rep. Germany |
Distribution and abundance of pelagic fish, mackerel, scad, herring; CTD Profiling; XTB's. |
|
|
Scotia |
UK |
Distribution and abundance of herring larvae; plankton sampling, gulf III and CTD profiling. |
|
|
Clione |
UK |
Distribution and abundance of young gadoid fish. |
Yes |
|
Nina Profi |
UK |
Geological structures of the Southwest approaches; Air gun, echosoundings, seismic reflections. |
|
|
Challenger |
UK |
Sample fish populations on UPR slope of Rockall Trough and to continue joint SMBA/IOS sampling on Porcupine. |
|
|
Cirolana |
UK |
Measure concentrations of radioactivity in seawaters and temp. and salinity of seawater samples. |
|
|
Thalia |
France |
Survey of Nephrops, underwater observation, photography, electric trawls. |
Yes |
|
Tridens |
Netherlands |
Studies on bottom trawls; resistance and trawl geometry; fish behaviour. |
|
|
Cirolana |
UK |
Pelagic fish survey: neuston trawling demersal and pelagic fish. |
Yes |
|
Frederick R |
UK |
Oceanography, deploy and service current meters, CTD profiles, cruise aborted due to bad weather. |
Yes |