Pot Survey – July 2023

July 24 - 26, 2023 F/V Integrity West Ocean City, MD

Author

Mike O’Brien (UMCES)

Participants

24 July

25 July - 26 July

Schedule

24 July

  • Scientific crew (MOB, EK)
    • 08:00 - 09:00 MOB/EK pack CBL truck (2017 Silverado) at Solomons, MD. Drive to MD Coastal Bays Program office.
      • 8219 Stephen Decatur Hwy, Berlin, MD 21811
    • 13:00 - 13:20 Load pots and two rope drums onto trailer.
    • 13:20 - 13:30 Drive to Sea Born LLC.
      • 12906 Sunset Ave, Ocean City, MD 21842
  • Full crew (MOB, EK, BH, mate)
    • 13:30 - 14:00 Unload pots. BH/mate begin loading pots onto vessel.
    • 14:00 - 16:00 MOB/EK drive to MD Coastal Bays Program. Repeat pot loading/return/unloading.
    • 16:00 - 16:30 Drop trailer off at MDCBP. Return to W Ocean City.
    • 16:30 Check into Beach Bum West-O

25 July

  • Full crew
    • 02:30 Arrive at F/V Integrity
      • 12906 Sunset Ave, Ocean City, MD 21842
    • 03:00 - 10:50 Fish pot deployment aboard F/V Integrity
  • Scientific crew
    • 16:00 Pick up dry ice from Harris Teeter
      • 31221 Americana Pkwy, Selbyville, DE 19975

26 July

  • Scientific crew
    • 02:10 Check out of Beach Bum West-O
  • Full crew
    • 02:30 Arrive at F/V Integrity
    • 03:00 - 11:20: Fish pot recovery aboard F/V Integrity
    • 11:40 Pick up trailer from MD Coastal Bays Program
    • 11:55 - 13:20 Remove pots from F/V Integrity, load onto trailer. Unload at MD Coastal Bays program. Repeat as needed.
      • 8219 Stephen Decatur Hwy, Berlin, MD 21811
  • Scientific crew
    • Return to Solomons, MD.
    • 17:50: Arrive in Solomons. Unpack and return truck.

Packing list

🔲 Fish totes (2)

🔲 Measuring board

🔲 Weight bucket with scales

🔲 Large cooler

🔲 Tool box

🔲 Bibs, boots, gloves

🔲 Kill buckets (2)

🔲 MS222, sampling bags, and bag tags

🔲 Data sheets (station, catch, measurement)

🔲 Clipboard

🔲 GPS + spare batteries

🔲 HOBO loggers (2)

🔲 Samsung tablet

🔲 Release transponder/box

Protocols

Deployment

  • Ropeless gear
    • Affix one HOBO logger each to two recovery cages
      • Slip logger into the side-cage support ribbing and affix with cable tie
      • Record serial number of release cage and serial number of HOBO logger
    • Turn on tablet >10 minutes before deployment and open Edgetech app to acquire GPS signal
    • Note serial number of recovery cage and mark as “deployed” in the Edgetech app as deploying pot
  • GPS
    • Set waypoint prefix to “2307”
      • From the main menu, select Setup, then Waypoints, then change prefix
    • Start recording track upon arrival
      • From map screen, press ENTER twice
    • Mark waypoints when first and second blocks are deployed
      • Press MARK then ENTER
    • Mark waypoints when pots are deployed (not often possible)
    • Stop recording track
      • From map screen, press ENTER, select STOP, then SAVE

Recovery

  • Ropeless gear
    • Turn on tablet >10 minutes before recovery and open Edgetech app to acquire GPS signal
    • Affix transponder to deck box and turn box on. Confirm that box is connected to tablet
    • Stop vessel, place transponder in water
    • Trigger release
    • Recover transponder, turn deck box off
  • GPS (buttons as above)
    • Start recording track when moving to retrieve
    • Mark waypoints when ropeless cage, first and second blocks are recovered
    • Stop recording track
  • Misc. Prep
    • Place UMCES-provided fish totes on Integrity-provided fish totes to create a shelf near the starboard gunwale
    • Half-fill the totes with water
    • Half-fill the kill bucket with water and add one pouch of MS-222
    • Wet the weigh bucket and take a tare weight
  • Measurements
    • Identify from which end the captain is starting. If the last pot deployed, start with 9 “far” pots. If the first pot deployed, start with 6 “near” pots.
    • All fish from first stratum are placed into one bin, those from the stratum are placed into the other. Recorder keeps track of when to switch bins (6 pots for near-first recovery, 9 pots for far-first).
    • Person on gunwale reads off pot tag ID and enumerates organisms. Recorder notes on data sheet.
    • A total of 30 BSB are retained for measuring, preferably 15 per near/far stratum.
    • If confident that 15/stratum will be caught, others can be immediately released.
    • While transiting to next site, record weight, length, and sex of 30 individuals per fish species.
    • If more than 15 fish/stratum available, measurements should be evenly split between strata.
    • 5 fish per stratum are retained for diet analyses; signs of barotrauma, esp. everted stomachs should be carefully noted.

Cruise plan; calculated at 8 knots

25 July: Full crew

  • 02:30 Meet at F/V Integrity
  • 03:00 Depart OCMD for C2307-1
  • 38 13.9196, -74 46.568
  • 05:05 Arrive C2307-1. Deploy pots.
  • 05:15 Finish deploying pots. Depart for J11
  • 38 17.1557, -74 43.7804
  • 05:45 Arrive J11. Deploy pots.
  • 05:55 Finish deploying pots. Depart for N12
  • 38 16.1341, -74 40.0343
  • 06:20 Arrive N12. Deploy pots.
  • 06:30 Finish deploying pots. Depart for C2307-2
  • 38 14.5717, -74 36.5198
  • 06:55 Arrive C2307-2. Deploy pots.
  • 07:05 Finish deploying pots. Depart for K08
  • 38 20.1893, -74 42.3134
  • 08:00 Arrive K08. Deploy pots.
  • 08:10 Finish deploying pots. Depart for J07
  • 38 21.2035, -74 43.1284
  • 08:20 Arrive J07. Deploy pots.
  • 08:30 Finish deploying pots. Depart for OCMD
  • 38 19.6452, -75 6.1998
  • 10:50 Arrive OCMD.

July 26: Full crew

  • 02:30 Meet at F/V Integrity
  • 03:00 Depart OCMD for C2307-1
  • 05:05 Arrive C2307-1. Recover pots.
  • 05:20 Finish recovering pots. Depart for J11
  • 05:50 Arrive J11. Recover pots.
  • 06:05 Finish recovering pots. Depart for N12
  • 06:30 Arrive N12. Recover pots.
  • 06:45 Finish recovering pots. Depart for C2307-2
  • 07:10 Arrive C2307-2. Recover pots.
  • 07:25 Finish recovering pots. Depart for K08
  • 08:20 Arrive K08. Recover pots.
  • 08:35 Finish recovering pots. Depart for J07
  • 08:45 Arrive J07. Recover pots.
  • 09:00 Finish recovering pots. Depart for OCMD
  • 11:20 Arrive OCMD

Distances

Distance, nautical miles
OCMD C2307-1 C2307-2 J07 N12 J11 K08
OCMD 0.00 16.45 23.86 18.18 20.85 17.78 18.76
C2307-1 16.45 0.00 7.92 7.77 5.59 3.91 7.11
C2307-2 23.86 7.92 0.00 8.42 3.17 6.26 7.23
J07 18.18 7.77 8.42 0.00 5.62 4.08 1.20
N12 20.85 5.59 3.17 5.62 0.00 3.12 4.44
J11 17.78 3.91 6.26 4.08 3.12 0.00 3.25
K08 18.76 7.11 7.23 1.20 4.44 3.25 0.00
Distance, time at 8 kts
OCMD C2307-1 C2307-2 J07 N12 J11 K08
OCMD - 02 h 05 m 03 h 00 m 02 h 20 m 02 h 40 m 02 h 15 m 02 h 25 m
C2307-1 02 h 05 m - 01 h 00 m 01 h 00 m 00 h 45 m 00 h 30 m 00 h 55 m
C2307-2 03 h 00 m 01 h 00 m - 01 h 05 m 00 h 25 m 00 h 50 m 00 h 55 m
J07 02 h 20 m 01 h 00 m 01 h 05 m - 00 h 45 m 00 h 35 m 00 h 10 m
N12 02 h 40 m 00 h 45 m 00 h 25 m 00 h 45 m - 00 h 25 m 00 h 35 m
J11 02 h 15 m 00 h 30 m 00 h 50 m 00 h 35 m 00 h 25 m - 00 h 25 m
K08 02 h 25 m 00 h 55 m 00 h 55 m 00 h 10 m 00 h 35 m 00 h 25 m -