Summer Surveys
Following on from our successful June/July survey work, the following surveys were conducted this month:
In the Firth of Forth, successful Baited Remote Underwater Video and fish trap surveys were conducted to support Task 1.2 on how fine-scale fish communities change in relation to offshore wind farm development. In addition to the above, RoxAnn surveys of the substrate were conducted and Conductivity, Temperature and Depth (CTD) data at the sampling sites were collected. This cruise ran from 29 July to 14 August 2023.
A total of 65 Passive Acoustic Monitoring (PAM) devices were deployed in the Moray Firth, at Moray East, Moray West and BOWL, to support data collection for Task 4.3 on how windfarm presence affects marine mammal responses to pile-driving and vessel disturbance. These devices use underwater microphones to detect and monitor vocalising marine mammals.
During this campaign, several acoustic release canisters (ARCs) already in position were recovered to support data collection for Task 3.3. These acoustic arrays will be serviced and the fish ping data downloaded to review the influence of wind turbines on the behaviour and movement of fish in the Moray Firth.
Quarter 3 General Updates
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- The Stakeholder and Network Analysis is in the final stages of review which will ensure that key stakeholders are informed of project outputs in the most effective way.
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- A final date and venue for the 2024 Annual Knowledge Exchange Meeting have been identified and invitations to stakeholders will be sent in due course after agenda finalisation.
Project Manager
This month I completed my STCW Personal Survival Techniques course in Aberdeen. The course consisted of a theory element reviewing case studies of offshore accidents, preventative actions, first aid and lifesaving equipment such as flares, rafts, and personal locator beacons.
There was also a practical element:
Full PPE donned including boilersuit, floatation suit, life vest and hard hat.
Jump from height into a pool before swimming over to an upturned life raft. After a foothold is found, pull yourself up onto the raft (not an easy feat in a large floatation suit and life vest!) before standing, balanced, on the raft.
Once balanced, hold a rope connected to the raft and use your weight fall backward and simultaneously pull the raft upwards until it flips, and you fall back to the water.
Again, after finding a foothold, pull yourself up into the safety of the raft and await rescue.
This certification will allow me to support future PrePARED offshore survey work, increasing understanding and communication throughout the project.
