New fisheries research ship named

The new state-of-the-art research ship Cefas Endeavour has been named at a ceremony in Lowestoft today (June 20) attended by the newly appointed Fisheries Minister Ben Bradshaw.

The £24 million 73 metre vessel has been built for the Centre for Environment Fisheries and Aquaculture Science (Cefas) at Lowestoft and arrived there on March 31st this year.

The ship was named by Dr Lindsay Murray, Science Area Head for Environmental Management at Cefas Burnham-on-Crouch Laboratory, and wife of Cefas Chief Executive Dr Peter Greig-Smith. Defra Secretary of State Margaret Beckett had intended to name the vessel, but was delayed at the Agriculture Council in Luxembourg.

Mr Bradshaw said: “We are fully committed to sustainable development within the UK, Europe and globally.

“The UK took a leading role in the World Summit on Sustainable Development, and of particular relevance today - especially in the Oceans area of the WSSD.

“At the recent Environment for Europe Conference, Defra Secretary of State Margaret Beckett signed protocols which will help improve the European environment.

“The Cefas Endeavour is a tangible and massive commitment to Sustainable Development of our marine and coastal regions.”

Mr Bradshaw told an invited audience at the naming ceremony in Lowestoft:

“Our Vision for the Seas is for a clean, healthy and safe environment. - Seas which are productive and diverse, and which house sustainable resources.

“- Seas which can service increasing demands from many uses, without damage to the ecosystem.

“ To achieve this balance we need to better understand how life in the seas works.

“And to manage the sea’s resources, we need to develop and adopt an Ecosystem Approach.

“Marine research, monitoring and provision of science-based advice is the bedrock for understanding and management.”

With 19 scientists and 16 crew, the Cefas Endeavour will be at the heart of fisheries research and the monitoring of the seas. She replaces the 32 year old research vessel Cirolana.

The ship is designed to minimise underwater noise and draws heavily on stealth technology used by submarines and surface ships. ‘Stealth’ reduces the risk of detection by fish being monitored or sampled and improves the efficiency of sonar and echo equipment. Both of these benefits maximise the accuracy of the data collected.

The new ship will :

• Survey the state of our fish stocks across the European Shelf.
• Monitor the quality of the sea water and the effects of the numerous contaminants.
• Play a key role in understanding the vital processes of the sea including the currents, the production cycles, the role and significance of marine biodiversity, the many ecological interactions and fluctuations in fish stocks.

Cefas Chief Executive, Peter Greig-Smith said: “This splendid new vessel is a major boost to our capability.

“It demonstrates the importance placed on the continual development of state-of-the-art science to provide the evidence base for a variety of policies.

“We are looking forward to the next 30 years of busy scientific work on a superb platform.”

Cefas Endeavour will carry out a wide range of scientific activities. These will include fishing with a variety of fishing gears, plankton sampling, the deployment and recovery of seabed monitors, physical and chemical oceanographic observations and sediment sampling.

In 2003 Cefas Endeavour will focus on subjects as diverse as seabed mapping, environmental monitoring and monitoring fish stocks.

Built by Ferguson Shipbuilders, Glasgow, Cefas Endeavour has completed outfitting, successful sea trials and her first scientific research operations.

Cefas Endeavour, with seven labs onboard, will work in waters all around the coast of the UK including the North Sea and the Western Approaches.

Notes to Editors

1. The Centre for Environment, Fisheries and Aquaculture Science is an agency of the UK Government’s Department for Environment Food and Rural Affairs.

2. Cefas employs over 550 staff at four sites around the UK. It carries out scientific monitoring and associated research and development on the management of fish stocks, the marine environment, and in fish and shellfish hygiene cultivation.

3. Cefas Endeavour carries a comprehensive set of fishing and hydrographic winches and purpose designed A-frames capable of deploying a wide range of sampling and measuring instruments.

4. The vessel has the latest fisheries and hydrographic echo-sounders and sonars. Dynamic-Positioning will be used to control the vessel’s position with precision during research operations. Computer networks will gather and distribute the data collected.

5. Cefas provides services in fisheries science and management, environmental monitoring and assessment, fish farming, fish health, disease and hygiene mainly to Defra and other UK government departments.

Contact Defra Press Officer Peter Hooley 07771-505-655
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