CE0502 Fisheries Orange Roughy Survey

The main focus of this pilot survey was to acoustically survey orange roughy (Hoplostethus atlanticus) spawning aggregations. Orange roughy, a highly commercial species, are an extremely slow growing species, with a longevity estimated at well over 100 and have low fecundity relative to body weight. This slow growth rate coupled with the formation of local, often large, spawning and feeding aggregations make them especially vulnerable to over exploitation. The survey took place on board the R.V. Celtic Explorer over 14 day (from 5th - 20th February, 2005) mainly concentrating on the northern and western slopes of the shelf break surrounding the Porcupine Bank. In total, 7 commercially fished and one “pristine” area were investigated during the survey. In addition, Conductivity, Temperature and Depth (CTD) sampling was carried out in each of the survey areas. Detailed habitat mapping and visualisation was carried out using the ROV Aglantha Aglantha, and visual Cetacean and seabird observations were conducted during daylight hours. The main purpose of this cruise was to survey the abundance and distribution of Orange Roughy (Hoplostethus atlanticus) in the North Atlantic Ocean. In addition, other aims included carrying out CTD sampling, habitat mapping, and visual cetacean and seabird surveys.