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Northeast 2019 Sea Scallop Survey Underway
HabCam lost & recovered, survey should complete on June 15
The 2019 Northeast sea scallop survey has been underway since May 15 aboard the R/V Hugh R. Sharp surveying at stations in the Mid-Atlantic and on Georges Bank. This survey uses both a dredge and a towed vehicle known as the HabCam, which is fitted with a number of sampling instruments including cameras that photograph the ocean bottom.
On June 6, the HabCam was being towed in the Great South Channel and hit an uncharted object in about 130 feet of water. The weak link in the tow cable broke, as intended when tension is too great. This limits damage to both the instrument and the ship's tow winch. The HabCam was separated from the ship, but a sound-emitting locator attached to it signaled its location.
The vessel, crew, and researchers continued dredge sampling while planning HabCam recovery operations. On June 10 commercial divers arrived at the scene. The object struck was a rock, estimated to be about 25 feet high and about 40 feet wide. The divers and ship's crew attached a recovery line to the vehicle and hauled it safely back onto the Sharp.
The vehicle was inspected and minor repairs made, before deploying this morning. The HabCam initially operated as usual, but soon encountered power problems.
Dredge operations will continue today, taking advantage of good weather ahead of the storms in the forecast for Thursday. The Sharp will come shoreside tomorrow to make HabCam repairs. We plan to complete as much of the remaining survey as we can after the repair.
This third and final leg of the 2019 survey is scheduled to conclude on June 15, and a summary of the cruise results will be released soon after.
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Questions?
Media: Contact Teri Frady, NEFSC Communications, 508-495-2239
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