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Crew and scientists aboard the Albatross IV.
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A Unique “Before and After” Opportunity
The Albatross IV cruise was designed to take advantage of a unique window of opportunity. In 1994, two areas of Georges Bank were completely closed to fishing and scallop dredging in order to give juvenile groundfish a chance to survive and grow. [link to G3-Trawling takes a Toll] In 1999, half of what had been designated Closed Area II was about to be reopened to scallop fishing. The Albatross IV cruised primarily within Closed Area II and the surrounding waters to monitor the resilience of the ocean bottom by comparing the areas closed to fishing, which had been untouched for four and a half years, with grounds outside the boundaries. Researchers designed a study which paired 48 stations in and out of the closed area.
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