West Coast Hake Biomass Survey on the Africana Voyage 084, July 1990

The West Coast Hake Biomass Survey was conducted on the Africana Voyage 084 from 12 July - 06 August 1990. The objectives of the cruise were to survey by means of trawling the abundance of adult and recruiting hake in South African waters; to investigate diurnal cycle of hake and other demersal species; to investigate the environmental and ecological interrelationships of hake and other demersal species; to investigate the occurrence, distribution, and abundance of squid; to study the biology of chondrichthyan species; to investigate zooplankton scattering layers and their influence on the feeding and distribution of small hake; to investigate the feasibility of using carbon and nitrogen isotopes for tracing hake diet; to obtain extensive coverage of chlorophyll-fluorescence distribution at the sea surface as part of an ongoing monitoring program; to collect live chaetognaths and medusae for gut evacuation and feeding experiments, and for gut content analysis; and lastly to train oceanographic research assistants.