The survey consisted of 155 random-stratified and fixed Oceanography stations in the Middle Atlantic Bight, Southern New England, Georges Bank and the Gulf of Maine. The principal objective of the survey was to assess the hydrographic, planktonic and pelagic components of the Northeast U.S. Continental Shelf Ecosystem. Specifically, the spatial distribution of the following parameters: water currents, water properties, phytoplankton, microzooplankton, mesozooplankton, seabirds, sea turtles and marine mammals were quantified. Traditional and novel techniques and instruments were used. A broad array of measurements of the pelagic ecosystem were made during the October 15-30, 2021 cruise.

The goal of the cruise was to gather additional data on habitat and fish assemblages in six of the South Atlantic MPAs and OECA as part of a long-term sampling program to document changes in these areas before and after fishing restrictions are implemented. The southernmost boundary of our work areas was Port Canaveral, FL while the northern-most boundary was Cape Hatteras, NC. Efficacy testing of this management tool aids fishery managers in future use of area restrictions for the protection of valuable habitat and fishery resources. Specific objectives included: ● Daytime Operation: Conducted ROV transect surveys of habitat and fish assemblages and collections of corals and sponges during daylight hours. ● Daytime Operation: Conducted total water column CTD profiles ● Night Operation: Conducted multibeam mapping to find areas to dive on with the ROV the following day. ● Night Operation: Conducted XBT casts to collect sound velocity data for the mapping.

This cruise was the sixteenth year in which sediment samples were collected across a wide area of the Gulf of Maine to directly support the forecasting of HAB intensity and distribution for the coming year. The cruise took place from October 11-20, 2022 and involved the collection and processing of sediment at 68 stations.

Between 30 May - 12 June 2021, we will conduct Remotely Operated Vehicle (ROV) and multibeam sonar surveys inside and outside six marine protected areas (MPAs) as well as inside and outside the Oculina Experimental Closed Area (OECA) in the south Atlantic to assess the efficacy of this management tool to protect species of the snapper grouper complex and Oculina coral. We will also investigate two additional spots of interest: Devil’s Hole Spawning Management Zone and Cape Lookout. The cruise is planned for the continental shelf edge of the South Atlantic Bight between Port Canaveral, FL and Cape Lookout, NC. We will be working in and around the following six MPAs, Oculina Experimental Closed Area, and two additional areas of interest (Figure 1): Florida MPA: Northwest corner at 30°29' N, 80°14' W; northeast corner at 30°29' N, 80°2' W; southwest corner at 30°19' N, 80°14' W; and southeast corner at 30°19' N, 80°2' W. Georgia MPA: Northwest corner at 31°43' N, 79°31' W; northeast corner at 31°43' N, 79°21' W; southwest corner at 31°34' N, 79°39' W; and southeast corner at 31°34' N, 79°29' W. Edisto MPA: Northwest corner at 32°24' N, 79°6' W; northeast corner at 32°24' N, 78°54' W, southwest corner at 32°18.5' N, 79°6' W and southeast corner at 32°18.5' N, 78°54' W. Charleston Deep Artificial Reef MPA: Northwest corner at 32°04' N, 79°12'W; northeast corner at 32°8.5'N, 79°7.75'W; southwest corner at 32°1.5'N, 79°9.3'W; and southeast corner at 32°6'N, 79°5'W. South Carolina MPA: Northwest corner at 32°53.5' N, 78°16.75' W; northeast corner at 32°53.5' N, 78°4.75' W; southwest corner at 32°48.5' N, 78°16.75' W; and southeast corner at 32°48.5' N, 78°4.75' W. Snowy Wreck MPA: Northwest corner at 33°25' N, 77°4.75' W; northeast corner at 33°34.75' N, 76°51.3' W; southwest corner at 33°15.75' N, 77°0' W; and southeast corner at 33°25.5' N, 76°46.5' W. Oculina Experimental Closed Area: Northern boundary at 27⁰ 53’N, Southern boundary at 27⁰ 30’N, Eastern boundary at 79⁰ 56’W, Western boundary at 80⁰W. Devil’s Hole Spawning Management Zone: Northwest corner at 32º 34.311’ N, 78º 34.996’ W; northeast corner at 32º 34.311’ N, 78º 33.220’ W; southwest corner at 32º 32.748’ N, 78º 34.996’ W; and southeast corner at 32º 32.748’ N, 78º 33.220’ W. Cape Lookout Site: Northwest corner at 34º 4.186’ N, 76º 17.188’ W; northeast corner at 33º 59.243’ N, 76º 12.991’ W; southwest corner at 33º 50.02’ N, 76º 34.922’ W; southeast corner at 33º 44.785’ N, 76º 30.526’ W. The goal of the cruise is to gather additional data on habitat and fish assemblages in six of the South Atlantic MPAs and OECA as part of a long term sampling program to document changes in these areas before and after fishing restrictions are implemented. The southernmost boundary of our work areas will be Port Canaveral, FL while the northernmost boundary will be Cape Lookout, NC. Efficacy testing of this management tool will aid fishery managers in future use of area restrictions for the protection of valuable habitat and fishery resources. Specific objectives include: Daytime Operation: Conduct ROV transect surveys of habitat and fish assemblages and collections of corals and sponges during daylight hours. Night Operation: Conduct multibeam mapping to find areas to dive on with the ROV the following day. Night Operation: Conduct total water column CTD profiles and XBT casts to collect sound velocity data for the mapping

The Ecosystem Monitoring (aka Ecomon) survery uses bongo and CTD sampling to monitor and map the distribution of zooplankton, krill and smaller organisms) and the physical environment. The survey has been conducted four times per year (although fewer times in recent years) in each season on the continental shelf from Cape Hatteras, NC to the Canadian waters of New Brunswick and Nova Scotia. Acoustic data are occasionally collected. Marine mammal and bird observations have been collected in the past.

Operations focused on continental shelf and shelf-break waters between North Carolina and St. Lucie Inlet, Florida, between 18 and 200 m deep. Leg 1 took place July 4 through 16 (13 DAS).

A total of 63 sites were targeted for sampling over a period of twelve days. At each station, a Craib corer was deployed, and a relatively undisturbed surface sediment core collected with a penetration depth of about 6-10 cm deep. The core was extruded onboard and sectioned into two layers; the top 0-1 cm and the underlying 1-3 cm layers. Two 5cc subsamples were collected from the 0-1 cm layer for cyst counting (by microscopy) and for molecular analysis (via qPCR). The remaining sediment from the 0-1 cm layer, and the sediment from the 1-3 cm layer were refrigerated and retained for later processing (if needed). Sediment below 3 cm deep in the core was discarded. The two 5cc subsamples were processed onboard using standard cyst techniques, including protocols for dilution of the raw sediment, sonifying and sieving the sample to yield a 20-100 μm particulate fraction. One subsample was initially preserved in 2% formalin for subsequent exchange onboard into 100% methanol until later counting at the Beaufort Lab. The second subsample was centrifuged to remove the overlying water and frozen pending analysis in Beaufort. At up to six stations (to be determined), additional sediment was collected using the Craib corer for a method development project. At each station, a CTD provided by the ship was deployed to measure parameters such as salinity, pressure, chlorophyll, and temperature from the surface of the water to the bottom to characterize water masses moving within the Gulf of Maine.

Operational objectives were to: (1) collect biological data with 61-cm and 20-cm bongo nets; (2) collect ocean acidification water samples with rosette water sampler; (3) collect underway data using TSG, SCS, EK80, and ADCP; (4) collect marine mammal and seabird observations; (5) subsample pteropods from plankton nets collected at ocean acidification stations; (6) collect along track imagery of phytoplankton and ciliates using Imaging FlowCytobot unit; (7) conduct radiometry cast for photosynthetically available radation (PAR) measurements; (8) subsample plankton from plankton nets for use in plankton energy density estimates; (9) collect supplemental bongo sampoles in Wind Energy Areas in southern New England; (10) subsample plankton for carbon and nitrogen isotope analysis; (11) collect plankton samples with a 75-cm ring net; and (12) collect larval fish with a 90-cm bongo net for use in swim testing.

NOAA Ship Pisces conducted applied fishery-independent sampling focusing on: (1) assessment of spatial and temporal variability in distribution and abundance of various snapper grouper fish species using chevron traps and video cameras, (2) collection of EK-80 acoustics data for fish during trap-video deployment and retrieval, (3) collection of environmental and water quality information using Conductivity-Temperature-Depth sensor (CTD) casts, and (4) periodic hook-and-line sampling for additional life history and diet samples.

The goal of the cruise was to gather additional data on habitat and fish assemblages in six of the South Atlantic MPAs and OECA as part of a long-term sampling program to document changes in these areas before and after fishing restrictions are implemented. The southernmost boundary of our work areas was Port Canaveral, FL while the northern-most boundary was Cape Hatteras, NC. Efficacy testing of this management tool aids fishery managers in future use of area restrictions for the protection of valuable habitat and fishery resources. Specific objectives included: ● Daytime Operation: Conducted ROV transect surveys of habitat and fish assemblages and collections of corals and sponges during daylight hours. ● Daytime Operation: Conducted total water column CTD profiles ● Night Operation: Conducted multibeam mapping to find areas to dive on with the ROV the following day. ● Night Operation: Conducted XBT casts to collect sound velocity data for the mapping.