After an odd year dealing with the pandemic, which resulted in one postponed research cruise, the DEEPEND team is gearing up for our first NOAA/RESTORE cruise later this month! We are excited that we received funding through 2024 to continue our important midwater survey and associated projects. We have a series of three cruises planned, with the first one going out on April 24th, 2021. We will be exploring the northern Gulf of Mexico using a midwater trawl and acoustic equipment to identify long-term trends in pelagic fish, shrimp, and squid abundance, and determine how observed trends relate to environmental changes and human pressure (e.g., pollution). The ultimate goal of the project is to provide information that can be used by resource managers to protect the natural resources of the Gulf.
The team will be leaving from Gulfport, MS, on the R/V Point Sur for 12 days and we are ready to get to work! As in the past, we will have a shiptracker and a HYCOM oceanographic model running in real time to help guide our voyage. We will also maintain a blog to document the various projects and discoveries throughout our journey. These are all accessible on the home page of the DEEPEND website: www.deependconsortium.org
If you want to read more about NOAA/RESTORE Science program, here is the link: https://restoreactscienceprogram.noaa.gov/
Looking forward to sharing our experience with you!
