Celtic Explorer will look for cod in waters off Labrador
Research scientist George Rose, director of fisheries ecosystems research at the Marine Institute, aboard the Celtic Explorer, a fisheries science and oceanographic research vessel. After a brief stop in St. John’s the vessel left for Labrador to conduct cod winter acoustic surveys. — Photo by Joe Gibbons/The Telegram
By James McLeod
The Telegram
With plenty of celebration and ceremony, the provincial government welcomed the Celtic Explorer to St. John’s recently.
A state-of-the-art research vessel, the Explorer didn’t stay in town long. After a brief visit it was on its way to the waters off the coast of Labrador, hunting for cod.
The 24-day expedition is bankrolled by the provincial government and led by Marine Institute researcher George Rose.
“We have been dependent on the federal government and others for information on what’s happening in our waters offshore,” said Premier Kathy Dunderdale, speaking to the media at a reception held to celebrate the Explorer’s arrival in town.
“Now we can go and get that information ourselves. We believe it’s really important to do that, and that’s why we made this investment.”
Seven months ago, the provincial government committed $12 million to charter a dedicated research vessel.
After reaching an agreement with the Marine Institute of Ireland, which owns the Celtic Explorer, researchers in this province will have access to it about one month per year for the next three years.
Fisheries research is typically the domain of the federal government. But when the funding was announced, then-premier Danny Williams said more information would give the province a stronger hand in influencing harvester quotas set by Ottawa.
Rose said his research team would use the vessel’s acoustic equipment to search for overwintering cod stocks.
“We haven’t had the kind of recovery that people expected when we first had the closure of the fishery back in the early ’90s,” Dunderdale said. “It’s important for us to understand what’s happening in this part of the world.”
“Not only does that have an impact on cod, but I’m sure there are considerations that need to be taken into account in other fisheries as well.”
The Explorer is designed to be a very quiet vessel, with the noise from engines and other equipment dampened, specifically so as to not disturb the fish which researchers are looking for.
Glenn Blackwood, executive director of the Marine Institute, said future research projects with the Explorer will focus on commercially vital areas of the province’s fishery.
“This industry is the backbone of the province, it has been for 500 years and will continue to be,” he said. “We will be in a position to learn more about it, and better information is better decisions.”
In the long run, Blackwood said the Marine Institute would like to invest the $40-50 million for a similar vessel so they can conduct research year-round.
jmcleod@thetelegram.com
Horizons 2011 