Vessel and Crew to Support Fisheries and Oceans Canada – Fall 2017 Gulf of St. Lawrence and Estuary Monitoring Program

Fisheries and Oceans Canada is seeking availability of a capable non-CCG Oceanographic Research Vessel to conduct its fall 2017 Gulf of St. Lawrence and Estuary Monitoring Program. Specifically, an Oceanographic Research Vessel is required for 32 consecutive days from contract award through to the end of November 2017 (days at sea and mob/demob days).

The science mission will involve two back to back surveys. The first Leg of the mission will be dedicated to the Eutrophication in the St. Lawrence Estuary survey that aims to characterize the causes and understand the impacts of estuarine eutrophication. The second Leg of the mission will be dedicated to the Gulf of St. Lawrence Monitoring Program that will collect data to understand, describe, and forecast the state of the marine ecosystem and to quantify the changes in the ocean’s physical, chemical and biological properties.

The overarching objective of the mission is to collect and analyse the biological, chemical, and physical field data that are necessary to (1) characterize and understand the causes of oceanic variability at the seasonal, inter-annual, and decadal scales, (2) provide multidisciplinary data sets that can be used to establish relationships among the biological, chemical, and physical variables, (3) provide adequate data to support the sound development of ocean activities, and (4) understand the phenomena of estuarine eutrophication. The study area includes the waters of the Saguenay River and the Estuary and Gulf of St. Lawrence, including Cabot Strait, Belles-Isle Strait, Jacques-Cartier Strait and the Southern Gulf.