CEFAS26-86 Contract for Thames Survey Vessel Charter

This project aims to address important data gaps in the current North Sea sole assessment, particularly the lack of recent recruitment data from the UK sector of the southern North Sea, which is an important nursery area for the stock. To provide suitable spatial coverage, two surveys will be undertaken: one in the northern Outer Thames and one in the southern Outer Thames.

Together, these surveys will collect abundance-at-age data for juvenile sole and information on the wider fish assemblage, including small demersal fish such as plaice, thornback ray and whiting, as well as shellfish and selected invertebrates. The project will conduct two seasonal surveys, each lasting up to seven days, using a standard 2 m or 3 m beam trawl supplied by Cefas at fixed sites in the Outer Thames.

Data collected will include catch rates and size distributions for commercial and non-commercial species, such as cod, whiting, thornback ray and shellfish, together with biological data for sole and plaice. This Contract seeks to secure one or more inshore fishing vessels (10 m LOA, or with sufficient space to support survey operations) with local knowledge of the areas described below, to undertake one or both surveys.

The surveys will take place in late August and/or early September. Each vessel must be capable of rigging and deploying Cefas survey gear (see Section 4.1.4).

Embarkation and disembarkation will be from suitable Outer Thames ports, such as West Mersea for the northern survey and Whitstable for the southern survey. Bidders should state their preferred port or ports in their submission.

The vessel will operate on a full-charter basis, including management, crew, victuals, fuel, meetings, harbour and port fees, any additional insurance required for Cefas survey equipment, and all other services needed to complete the sampling described below. Tenders must be submitted as an all-inclusive fixed price and include a breakdown of day rates, mobilisation and demobilisation rates, and weather downtime costs.