Vessel Charter

The overall objective of the project is to conduct an acoustic and mid-water fishing survey to better understand the acoustic signature of herring and of other species that overlap with Herring habitat.

To achieve this goal, the proponent must perform the following:

• Allow DFO personnel to install and calibrate an EK80 echosounder system (equipped with 38 kHz, 70 kHz, 120 kHz, and 200 kHz transducers, hereafter referred to as a EK80 echosounder system) to be clamped to the wing-based stabilizer, unless one of these systems is already installed on the vessel;
• Be willing and able to operate and fish on a 24 hour schedule;
• Record acoustic data following a cruise track determined by DFO, and be willing to adjust vessel speed and other instruments whenever possible to ensure maximum quality of the acoustic data;
• Provide space at the bridge for a computer station for one DFO staff to facilitate communication with the fish master;
• Collect fish samples when aggregations are detected to validate the acoustic signal;
• Provide space on or below deck to process fish catches (e.g. sorting, weighting, measuring fish) after trawling operations;
• Follow a herring commercial vessel during night time acoustic survey at close distance (0.5 nmi) to allow for comparison between the acoustic and fish data collected by both vessels;
• Have at least two crew members assist DFO staff with identification, sorting, measuring, and weighting of catches;
• Follow the instructions given by the mission lead (scientist) and/or DFO staff onboard the fishing vessel.
• If needed, the echosounder will be installed and calibrated in a harbor equipped with a crane in New-Brunswick or Nova-Scotia where the Science team will meet with the vessel crew. The contractor should be present for these steps.