Sea Views SEACAMS. month s edition. In this. Business aboard the RV Prince Madog What do seals do underwater? All aboard the RV Prince Madog

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1 February 2013 SEACAMS Sea Views In this month s edition Business aboard the RV Prince Madog What do seals do underwater? All aboard the RV Prince Madog ebost: info@seacams.ac.uk

Business aboard the Pince Madog sets sail RV Prince Madog Last year several Welsh marine businesses took the opportunity to join SEACAMS on their expeditions aboard the Research Vessel Prince Madog.

The RV Prince Madog set sail from Menai Bridge last September on a 26 day scientific expedition exploring the Irish Sea, St. George s Channel and the Celtic Sea.

2 Business aboard the Pince Madog sets sail RV Prince Madog Last year several Welsh marine businesses took the opportunity to join SEACAMS on their expeditions aboard the Research Vessel Prince Madog. This custom built multi-purpose ship carries state of the art survey equipment and boasts 24 hour, year round operating capability. The RV Prince Madog set sail from Menai Bridge last September on a 26 day scientific expedition exploring the Irish Sea, St. George s Channel and the Celtic Sea. Cliff Benson from The Sea Trust was one of the businesses to join the RV Prince Madog at Fishguard. The Sea Trust is a not for profit community interest company based in Fishguard that surveys Cetaceans (dolphins and porpoises) and other marine life. I was keen to take advantage of the opportunity to spend a number of days out at sea where we could extensively survey an area off Strumble Head and St. Govan s head for two days, said Cliff. The expedition was carefully planned to accommodate a wide range of business-related activities and needs and measurements were collected using various equipment from a variety of sites during the cruise. As part of this work the RV Prince Madog was able to pick up and drop off business personnel so they could participate in some of the work. This ensured that businesses got the best out of the expedition making their time on board effective. Cliff Benson and his colleagues Richard Crossen and Christina Munilla have extensive experience of surveying marine mammals and sea birds. The Prince Madog allowed us to use a variety of equipment to survey the The Prince Madog allowed us to use a variety of equipment to survey the sea bed at St. Govan s Head, and take samples from it Sea Trust

Surveying bird life this research vessel, says Cliff. The accommodation is also spacious with comfortable en-suite cabins that are welcoming after a hard day s research on deck.

Minke whale, porpoise and pods of common dolphin were sighted throughout the day. In addition, sea birds were surveyed.

Sea Trust We were keen to survey this area extensively to assess whether the deployment of a marine device would impact adversely on the cetacean and bird life in the area.

3 Surveying bird life this research vessel, says Cliff. The accommodation is also spacious with comfortable en-suite cabins that are welcoming after a hard day s research on deck. The Sea Trust s survey took place from 7am to 7pm recording cetacean species, their activity and their position using a hand held GPS. Minke whale, porpoise and pods of common dolphin were sighted throughout the day. In addition, sea birds were surveyed. Large numbers of razorbills and guillemots were observed, together with species that are transient to the area including sooty shearwaters and kittiwake. Sea Trust We were keen to survey this area extensively to assess whether the deployment of a marine device would impact adversely on the cetacean and bird life in the area. Our studies indicated that deployment of the marine device would not adversely impact on the marine mammals or bird life in the area we surveyed off St Govan s Head. Using the RV Prince Madog meant we could conduct an extensive survey in comfort. Living on the ship had the benefit of putting us on site early in the morning to continuously monitor throughout the day, concluded Cliff. sea bed at St. Govan s Head, and take samples from it, in addition to conducting dusk to dawn surveys of birds and cetaceans in the area. This survey was to assess the impact of potentially deploying arrays of renewable energy devices for Marine Energy Ltd, explained Cliff. The RV Prince Madog is an impressively spacious 34 metres long with the ability to accommodate 18 people comfortably. She can stay at sea for 10 days at a time cruising between 8 and 10 knots, giving her an extensive range to reach remote sites. The ship has a dedicated crew of 8 including the Captain, First Mate, Technical Officer, Cook, Deck Hands and Engineers. All the crew work to ensure that the ship gets to the sites safely and efficiently and operate the cranes and winches to help deploy scientific equipment. The 80 square metres of aft deck space has a special A frame, in addition to a crane, and a number of boom winches making the deploying and recovery of equipment much less arduous than on a smaller boat. The RV Prince Madog can stay at sea for 10 days giving her an extensive range to reach remote sites There are two research laboratories on board. The wet laboratory can be found on the main deck while a dry laboratory housing extensive computer equipment is on the upper deck. The bridge above this deck also has an outside deck. This deck makes an exceptional viewing platform to survey wildlife from, so we used this extensively during our dawn to dusk survey, said Cliff. While out at sea the RV Prince Madog also offers some welcome home comforts. The galley provides delicious hearty fayre from a cooked breakfast to a filling three course evening meal. The meals are substantial to keep you going when you are working hard at sea and consuming a lot of energy, you won t go hungry on Cliff Benson & Richard Crossen survey marine life Sea Trust

4 Observing seal behaviour What do seals do underwater? There has been a great deal of work done on observing seals and their behaviour above water but little is known about their behaviour below the surface. This spring SEACAMS plans to begin tracking seal behaviour thanks to innovations in tracking technology. This can help renewable energy companies determine where best to site underwater turbines. In the search for renewable energy, arrays of underwater turbines are planned to be deployed off the coast. Many of these need to be situated where tidal currents are strong. The Skerries and Ramsay Sound are two prime candidate sites. In order to successfully trial and deploy arrays of turbines environmental impact assessments are important. Care is taken to ensure that the turbines do not impact on the local marine life and the local marine life does not damage the turbines. The grey seal is a protected species and is native to the Welsh Coast. Little is known about what seals do when they dive beneath the waves. As pelagic fish, crustaceans and molluscs are on the menu, seals probably spend much of their time under the water foraging. We know a lot about seal behaviour from observations above the water, but we don t have a definitive understanding of behaviour once they are below it. We believe they are foraging, but this is just speculation. We have no idea how extensively they forage, over what areas and for how long. This spring we plan to answer those questions, explains Dr. Victoria Hobson, who will lead the SEACAMS investigation. Much of the information gathered about seal behaviour has been obtained using global positioning systems. This is only effective above the water. The research to date shows when a seal dives and where it surfaces, but it does not give any clues as to what happened between these events. The SEACAMS team will use an innovative device, developed at Swansea University, that will use a range of miniature sensors to record the seals movement many times a second for as long as it is below the water. We have no idea how extensively Seals forage, over what areas and for how long. This spring we plan to answer those questions

The Daily Diary T The matchbox sized waterproof device is called a Daily Diary.

The recordings will give us really detailed movements from the depth the seal dives through to whether it is swimming on its front or back and how fast it is travelling through the water.

The device is robust and unobtrusive, so the seal will not know it is there and go about its normal activities.

5 The Daily Diary T The matchbox sized waterproof device is called a Daily Diary. Equipped with pressure sensors, a compass and an accelerometer a three dimensional picture of the seal s movement will be revealed. The recordings will give us really detailed movements from the depth the seal dives through to whether it is swimming on its front or back and how fast it is travelling through the water. We will be able to tell when it chases fish, for how long and even when it gives up, says Victoria. We intend to capture a number of seals and attach a Daily Diary to them. The device is robust and unobtrusive, so the seal will not know it is there and go about its normal activities. The device is designed to detach itself after five days and float to the surface where an acoustic transmitter will signal for us to retrieve it and examine the results, explains Victoria. The data will be analysed on a computer to provide three dimensional graphs of the seals movements. The data should tell SEACAMS scientists where the seals are travelling and at what speeds. They will then be able to make recommendations to the renewable energy companies on how these activities may impact on where turbine arrays may best be placed. It is important that the generation of energy from the sea and resident marine life happens in harmony. Seals are by their nature territorial and if seals are foraging extensively in a particular area where turbines are present we want to understand the impact of this. A bull seal weighing 300kg chasing a fish travelling at 10 knots in a 9 knot current could cause significant damage to an array of turbines costing millions of pounds, reflects Victoria. SEACAMS are seeking permission from the governing bodies to conduct this research because seals are a protected species. It is hoped that the research can commence this spring when seals spend some of their day basking on the rocks. The Daily Diary is robust and unobtrusive so the seal will go about its normal activities Grey seals basking on the rocks

Deploying a wave buoy All aboard the RV Prince Madog Each year SEACAMS has oceanographic cruises on the dedicated research vessel RV Prince Madog.

6 Deploying a wave buoy All aboard the RV Prince Madog Each year SEACAMS has oceanographic cruises on the dedicated research vessel RV Prince Madog. This year s programme is being developed currently, so there s an opportunity for your business to benefit from conducting funded research at sea. Conducting marine research offshore can be very costly. A research vessel provides a stable platform for operating and deploying scientific equipment and also has the capacity to get to the site and back again in relative comfort and safety. Bangor University s research vessel, RV Prince Madog, is a marine scientist s ideal vessel for conducting off-shore investigations. Well equipped, with a crew of eight, the ship is available for charter as well to scientists at Bangor University. SEACAMS is funding research cruises to give your business an opportunity to work at sea around the coast of Wales on collaborative projects. The first cruise last year left port from Menai Bridge, where the RV Prince Madog is berthed, for a ten day expedition off North Wales taking in the coast off Anglesey and down to the Llŷn Peninsula. Much of the research conducted on-board focused on taking physical measurements of the sea state and the seabed. This information is being used to validate computer models for tides and to support environmental impact studies for deployment of renewable energy devices. One of the major benefits of the RV Prince Madog is its size and stability, providing an excellent platform to work from and the capacity to carry and deploy large pieces of scientific equipment. Measurements of

7 currents, turbulence and the temperature of the sea can be accurately made with Accoustic Doppler Current Profiling (ADCP). An ADCP mooring was deployed from the research vessel three miles offshore on this expedition where it rested on the seabed 50 metres below the ship. The mooring was deployed at the beginning of the expedition and retrieved ten days later corresponding with the tidal cycle. The RV Prince Madog also carries Laser In-situ Scattering and Transmissometry (LISST) technology. This can measure sediment concentrations through analysing the turbidity of the water column. It measures particle sizes and the quantity of particles in the immediate vicinity of the device. Marine businesses on-board were using this technology to track sediment movement. Wave Buoys measure the height and speed of waves. Attached to a shot line the vertical movement of the buoy measures tidal heights while also recording the strength and frequency of the waves it encounters. Again this was deployed at the beginning of the expedition and retrieved after 10 days. The second expedition began in September and covered waters off mid and South Wales. The 26 day itinerary took in Fishguard and approaches to the Bristol Channel in addition to exploring St. Govan s Head and the seabed. A host of businesses were on board taking advantage of its itinerary. RV Prince Madog is a marine scientist s ideal vessel for conducting off-shore investigations The RV Prince Madog is fitted with a multibeam system that was used to get an accurate profile of the topography of the seabed on this expedition. While portable multibeam systems are available they take around half a day to set up before meaningful measurements can be taken. The permanent system fitted to the hull of the RV Prince Madog means that scientists can begin capturing data the moment they are on site. The RV Prince Madog s substantial size also allows it to carry an extensive array of sediment sampling devices. Extensive samples of sediment from the seabed were taken during the expedition using the robust heavy grabs on-board. These claws are dropped to the seabed where they pierce the sediment to a depth of up to a metre. The claws close and become water tight to Taking off-shore measurements

SEACAMS Research in the onboard laboratory SEACAMS offers businesses with interests in the marine sector access to the research, expertise and

Strong winches on the ship allow grab samples to be retrieved from up to 90 metres.

The spring cruise will cover the seas off North Wales and the autumn cruise will head to mid and South Wales.

This is a unique opportunity for Welsh-based businesses with interests in marine science to take advantage of the scientific expertise on board,

8 SEACAMS Research in the onboard laboratory SEACAMS offers businesses with interests in the marine sector access to the research, expertise and knowledge base of universities in Wales. preserve the captured sediment intact as it is retrieved through the water column. Strong winches on the ship allow grab samples to be retrieved from up to 90 metres. SEACAMS has just completed the first cruise of 2013 and has other ship time scheduled for spring and autumn of The spring cruise will cover the seas off North Wales and the autumn cruise will head to mid and South Wales. If your business is interested in being included in the itinerary then contact SEACAMS. This is a unique opportunity for Welsh-based businesses with interests in marine science to take advantage of the scientific expertise on board, together with the extensive facilities of the ship and the skills of its crew. Whether you have ocean trials that you would like SEACAMS scientists to conduct for you or you would like your personnel working on the ship next to SEACAMS scientists, contact us to explore your project further as soon as possible. Printed on Recycled Paper info@seacams.ac.uk

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