Deep Secrets: The Outer Shelf and Slope Ecosystems of the Eastern Cape on the Algoa Voyage 230, September 2016

The ACEP Deep Secrets Cruise set out to fill in gaps and shed light on the priority areas and research questions identified during the recent Marine Protected Area and Marine Spatial Planning Initiatives of Operation Phakisa’s Marine Protection and Governance Lab. Using underwater cameras (SkiMonkey and Drop camera), grabs, dredges and a CTD the study aimed to improve our knowledge on marine offshore habitats, as well as to build understanding of the effects of the expanding fishing and petroleum industries on marine offshore communities.

ACEP深海秘辛科考航次旨在填补研究空白，阐明法基萨行动（Operation Phakisa）海洋保护与治理实验室近期海洋保护区（Marine Protected Area）及海洋空间规划（Marine Spatial Planning）倡议所确定的优先研究领域与科研问题。本研究采用水下摄像机（SkiMonkey与Drop camera）、抓斗采样器、拖网采泥器及温盐深剖面仪（Conductivity Temperature Depth, CTD），以期深化对海洋离岸生境的认知，并增进对不断扩张的渔业与石油工业如何影响海洋离岸生物群落的理解。