California Cooperative Oceanic Fisheries Investigations

• NOAA Ship:          NOAA Ship McArthur II
• Cruise Number:    0907M2
• Cruise Dates:        July 14 – August 5, 2009
• Cruise Title:        CalCOFI Survey.
• Study Area:        US/Mexican border to Monterey, CA out to 400 nautical miles.

• Transit from Seattle to San Diego: July 6 – 11, 2009
• Ship loading and gear preparation: July 11 – 13, 2009.
• Leg 1: July 14 – August 5
• Station 93.3/26.7 - 66.7/90.0
• Arrive San Francisco, CA: August 5, 2009
• The ship will offload scientific gear in San Francisco, CA.

Sponsoring Institution:  NOAA/NMFS, Southwest Fisheries Science Center (SWFSC)
Fisheries Resources Division (FRD)
 

Current or returning cruise:

• CalCOFI 0911NM: 6 - 23 Nov 2009 SIO RV New Horizon; Fall survey: lines 93.3 to 76.7. CalCOFI 0911NM sailed from San Diego on SIO RV New Horizon at 0800 6 Nov 2009. They returned to San Diego at 1500 23 Nov 2009 after successfully occupying 75 scheduled stations.
  

Each standard CalCOFI station usually includes the following:

• A Seabird 9/11plus CTD/Rosette consisting of 24 10-liter hydrographic bottles is lowered to 500 meters (depth permitting) measuring physical parameters (temperature, salinity, oxygen, fluorescence, transmittance, NO3 and PAR); bottles are closed at discrete depths isolating seawater for analysis of: oxygen concentration, salinity, nutrients, chlorophyll and phytoplankton.
• A CalBOBL (CalCOFI Bongo) standard oblique plankton tow with 300 meters of wire out, depth permitting, using paired 505 um mesh nets with 71 cm diameter openings. The technical requirements for this tow are: Descent rate of 50 meters per minute. All tows with ascending wire angles lower than 38 degrees or higher than 51 degrees in the final 100 meters of wire will be repeated. Additionally, a 45 degrees wire angle should be closely maintained during the ascent and descent of the net frame. The Bongo frame is fitted with a self-contained OPC (Optical Particle Counter) mounted inside the port side opening.
• A Manta net (neuston) tow, using a 505 um mesh net on a frame with a mouth area of 0.1333 m^2.
• A Pairovet (vertical) plankton tow is performed at all stations inshore of, and including station 70. The Pairovet net fishes from 70 meters to the surface (depth permitting) using paired 25 cm diameter 150 um mesh nets. The technical requirements for Pairovet tows are: Descent rate of 70 meters per minute, ascent rate of 70 meters per minute. All tows with wire angles exceeding 15 degrees during the ascent will be repeated.
• A PRPOOS (Planktonic Rate Processes in Oligotrophic Ocean Systems) vertical net tow is performed at all stations on line 90.0 and 80.0 as well as stations out to and including station 70.0 on lines 86.7 and 83.3. These stations are occupied as part of the LTER(Long Term Ecological Reserve) project. The mesh of the PRPOOS net is 202 um and the tow is a vertical cast up from 210 meters.

Please check the Volunteering web page on calcofi.org for 2010 cruise dates & opportunities.

Interested in participating in an oceanographic cruise? CalCOFI cruises are staff by personnel from the three supporting agencies: NMFS/NOAA, IOD/SIO, & CDF&G. Volunteers are often recruited to help deploy equipment, collect data, and draw and analyze samples.

General criterias are:

• sea-worthiness (some experience at sea or seasickness awareness);
• good health;
• scientific interest or background;
• ability to follow detailed instructions carefully;
• ability to work safely on an oceanographic cruise.
• availability - most cruises are 16 - 18 days .
• ability to work a 12hr watch (noon to midnight or midnight to noon)

Additional information is available in the CalCOFI Handbook. If you are interested in participating contact the Volunteer Coordinator This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it at Scripps Institution of Oceanography.