Plattform Platform	Reise-Nr. Cruise-No.	Zeitraum Period	Projekt Project	Arbeitsgebiet Working area
Solea	821	02.05.2023 - 17.05.2023	DAM-MGF-NORDSEE	North Sea

Fahrtleiter Chief Scientist	Institut Institute	Auslaufhafen Port of departure	Einlaufhafen Port of return	Stationskarte Station map	Schiffsroute Trackchart
Neumann Hermann	Thunen-Institut fur Seefischerei	Cuxhaven	Cuxhaven

Ziel der Reise / Objectives of Cruise:

This cruise was part of the DAM pilot mission MGF North Sea 2. The objective of this project is to evaluate the potential effects on fish and epibenthic communities in the Natura2000 areas (German EEZ, North Sea) following the exclusion of bottom trawling since May 2023. Originally, this cruise aimed to implement and further test the monitoring concept for fish end epibenthic communities developed exactly for this task during the first phase of the DAM pilot mission. This concept includes the use of traditional monitoring methods, such as 3-meter and 2-meter beam trawls, to compare the results with baseline data on fish and epibenthos obtained during the first project phase and from monitorings by the Thunen Institute of Sea Fisheries since 2002 in those areas. However, due to uncertainties regarding exemptions for scientific trawl deployments, the Thunen Institute of Sea Fisheries, after consultations with the BfN, decided not to deploy beam trawls in the strictly protected areas. Consequently, the cruise program was adjusted, and only stations outside protected areas were sampled using bottom trawls. This adjustment was somewhat counterproductive to the project's goals, as it prevented direct comparison of trawl results from protected areas with those from areas where bottom-contact fishing gear is still permitted. Besides the use of beam trawls also BRUVs were deployed on selected stations (in cooperation with the University of Oldenburg), and water samples were taken for eDNA analysis. This will allow further comparisons of the classical monitoring methods with newly developed non-invasive methods.

Messungen / Measurements