The vessels itinerary was as follows:
Departure Port of Spain: 30 May 00 hrs.Figures 1 and 2 show the course tracks and the fishing - and hydrographical stations worked. Little work was done in the eastern area over the shelf off the Paria Peninsula where the bottom conditions are difficult for demersal trawling. The survey effort was intensive from the Testigos Archipelago westwards past the Tortuga Island both along the inner and outer shelf parts. A hydrographical profile was worked northwards over the shelf off Pta. del Taquien between Margarita Isl. and Los Testigos. Another new hydrographical profile was worked northwards over the shelf off Cabo Codera and the suggested profile off Golfo Triste was positioned in the strait between Venezuela and Curacao. The sections off Puerto La Cruz and in the Gulf of Venezuela were repeated. The bottom trawl stations worked during daytime forms the basic data for swept area biomass estimation. Course tracks and section work were therefore adjusted so that most of the prepositioned trawling stations could be worked during daytime. It was however observed that schools of sardines occured in surface layer during day hour but submerged to layer within the transdusers range at night. Additional course tracks for acoustic biomass estimation were therefore run at night in areas of high sardin abundance. A dense net of prelocated trawl stations were positioned over the shelf off Margarita Island and in the Gulf of Venezuela during daytime to cover different areas and depth ranges. The shelf around Blanquilla was surveyed for trawlable bottom and two trawl stations made. The acoustic system was calibrated on 3 June in the Gulf of Cariaco using the coppersphere procedure. 113 trawl stations were worked and 2700 nm. were steemed.
Call on La Guaira: 07 June
Arrival Pto. Fijo 14 June hrs.
