DFO NEPDEP Expedition
DFO NEPDEP Expedition
CCGS John P. Tully May 28 – June 12, 2023
On May 28, 2023, seven Canadian Scientific Submersible Facility team members assisted scientists from the Department of Fisheries and Oceans Canada, Pacific Region in the exploration of seamounts, hydrothermal vents and cold seeps off the coast of Vancouver Island, work which was conducted aboard the Canadian Coast Guard Ship, the CCGS John P. Tully, as part of the Northeast Pacific Deep-sea Exploration Project (NEPDEP). Researchers from several institutions participated, including principal investigators, graduate students and professionals from the University of Victoria, Dalhousie University, Memorial University, the University of Gothenburg, the Hakai Institute, Ocean Networks Canada, the Royal British Columbia Museum, Natural Resources Canada, the GEOMAR Hemholtz Centre for Ocean Research Kiel and Scripps Institute of Oceanography. ROPOS provided access to six unique habitats, the: Explorer Seamount (‘Spongetopia’ & ‘Coraltropolis’), Explorer Ridge Hydrothermal Vents (‘Recordbreaker’ & ‘Old Area’), Tuzo Wilson Seamount NEPDEP 58 Nursery, Winona Cold Seeps (‘Twins’ & ‘Blowout’), Deep NEPDEP 35 Seamount and Hesquiat Slope Cold Seeps. Highlights of our mission included: coming across a whale fall, capturing the birthing of a Pacific white skate (Bathyraja spinosissima) on video and a mother octopus (Graneledone boreopacifica) fending off king crabs from her eggs.
Read more: DFO NEPDEP Expedition
KIOST Expedition Summary - RV ISABU
KIOST Expedition Summary
RV Isabu, October 11 – November 29, 2021
The CSSF team implemented a staggered travel plan to Korea to ensure expertise was available for the integration of ROPOS on the RV Isabu at appropriate times. The bulk of the team arrived in later September and coalesced in Busan, a large port city at the Southern extent of the Peninsula.
Workshop on Advanced Benthic Surveying Tools for Marine Science
Advanced Benthic Surveying Tools for Marine Science Workshop
Montréal, Canada, August 18 – 20, 2023
In April 2023, 39 Canadian marine scientists from government, academia, and the not-for-profit sector, met in Montréal to advance plans for benthic science mission, ship access, funding, and equipment availability. The CSSF was a cosponsor of this event.
The primary focus was on advanced survey tools such as remotely operated vehicles (ROVs) and autonomous underwater vehicles (AUVs) required to better understand marine ecosystem health, benthic biodiversity, and geological processes. During the various discussion’s sessions, participants highlighted the need for more collaborative approach and for more partnerships that can ensure consistent, efficient, and reproductible workflows and methodology among research groups.
After the Workshop, a poster was created to share at an Oceans Research in Canada Alliance (ORCA) meeting in early June the objectives of the activity, the pre-event survey, the details of the 2-day event, the main outcomes, and next steps.
Photo Credit: Janet Ferguson-Roberts, Canadian Scientific Submersible Facility. Poster: Bárbara de Moura Neves et al.
New Zealand - South Pacific Expedition Summary
NSF/GNS Expedition Summary
RV Tangaroa, March 6 – 26, 2021
In February 2021, 9 members of the CSSF team travelled from Victoria, Halifax and St. Johns to Wellington, New Zealand, to participate in an NSF/GNS funded expedition on board the NIWA research vessel Tangaroa. To meet New Zealand’s COVID requirements for entry into the country the team was quarantined for 14 days in a hotel in Wellington in advance of proceeding to the ship.