The Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food, together with the Spanish Institute of Oceanography (IEO), have launched once again the scientific campaign "Platuxa" in the regulatory area of NAFO (Northwest Atlantic Fisheries Organization), in order to analyze the demersal fishery resources of commercial interest for the Spanish fleet in the Grand Banks of Newfoundland.
Within this framework, the oceanographic research vessel Vizconde de Eza will set sail on June 7 from the port of Vigo to carry out this campaign, which will last from June 15 to July 4 and will conclude on July 5 in the Canadian port of St. John's, Newfoundland.
The main purpose of the campaign is to collect information on populations of species of interest in international waters near the Canadian Exclusive Economic Zone, down to a maximum depth of 1,500 meters, within the area regulated by NAFO.
In particular, the scientific team will obtain data on catches, sizes, biological parameters, and samples to study growth and reproduction, as well as the trophic chain of the species. Likewise, invertebrate communities will be evaluated and physicochemical parameters of the water will be described.
At the same time, the campaign has "special relevance" for Northwest Atlantic bottom trawl fisheries, where around 9% of trawl catches are of redfish and about 4% correspond to black halibut.
Overall, this campaign has been carried out uninterruptedly since 1995, is integrated into the "National Program for the Collection, Management and Use of Data from the Spanish fishing sector" and is co-financed by the European Maritime, Fisheries and Aquaculture Fund (EMFAF).