West Coast Hake Biomass Survey on the Africana 069, January 1989

The West Coast Hake Biomass Survey was conducted on the Africana 069 from 5 - 26 January 1989. The cruise was multi-disciplinary. The main target was to determine, by means of the swept area method, the present status of the hake resource on the South African west coast. In carrying out this study, it was possible also to collect some information on the environment and zooplankton (including squid larvae) in the vicinity of the catches and to determine some ecological interrelationships of hake and other demersal fish species, to investigate squid distribution, to study some aspects of the biology and distribution of sharks and skates, to study the feeding ecology of demersal species of little commercial importance and to look closely at demersal communities. A diurnal study was also carried out successfully and some deep-water trawls were made to collect rare and interesting specimens. While in South West African waters, a comparison of the trawling capabilities of the M.F.V. Chica Touza and R.S. Africana was attempted and much biological material was collected for routine studies of demersal fish in those waters. Throughout the cruise, otoliths and squid beaks were collected for stomach content studies, and in-depth research was conducted into horse mackerel.

1989年1月5日至26日，在西非非洲大陆沿岸，于Africana 069号船上进行了西海岸鲽鱼生物量调查。此次巡航具有多学科性质。主要目标是利用扫海面积法，确定南非西海岸鲽鱼资源的当前状况。在进行此项研究的过程中，还收集了有关捕捞区域及其附近海域环境和水生浮游生物（包括乌贼幼体）的一些信息，探讨了鲽鱼与其他底栖鱼类物种之间的生态相互关系，研究了乌贼的分布情况，对鲨鱼和鳐鱼的生物学和分布进行了某些方面的研究，探讨了商业价值较小的底栖物种的摄食生态学，并对底栖群落进行了细致观察。此外，还成功开展了日间研究，并进行了深海拖网作业，以收集稀有和有趣的标本。在南西非水域期间，对M.F.V. Chica Touza号和R.S. Africana号的拖网能力进行了比较，并为该水域底栖鱼类常规研究收集了大量生物材料。在整个巡航过程中，收集了鱼耳石和乌贼喙用于胃内容物研究，并对鲣鱼进行了深入研究。