Fisheries and Marine Institute of Memorial University of Newfoundland

The Marine Institute is once again chartering the RV Celtic Explorer from the Irish Marine Institute in Galway, Ireland for research that will be conducted by MI's Centre for Fisheries Ecosystems Research. The vessel left Galway on Apr. 29 and is expected to arrive in St. John's on May 8.

The vessel's crew will immediately load the RV Celtic Explorer with the necessary equipment before departing on May 9 to conduct its survey until early June. Followers of the research vessel the RV Celtic Explorer can track the ship's progress as it conducts its research at http://www.marine.ie/home/services/surveys/SurveyBlog.htm.

The online blog provides daily information about the work conducted by the researchers and crew aboard the Celtic Explorer, including Dr. George Rose, scientific director of the Marine Institute's Centre for Fisheries Ecosystems Research (CFER). Dr. Rose and his team of researchers, scientists and graduate students conducted their first overwintering cod survey using the RV Celtic Explorer in Feb. 2011.

The research lead by CFER is expected to result in a better understanding of fish stocks and the status of Newfoundland and Labrador's marine ecosystem. The research will significantly add to the existing knowledge about the province's marine fisheries ecosystems while supporting the development of sustainable and profitable fisheries in Newfoundland and Labrador.

The Provincial Government helped launch CFER in July, 2010 by providing the Marine Institute with $11.75 million to establish the centre. This includes $6.5 million toward the human resources and operating costs of the centre, over the next five years, and $5.25 million for the chartering of large research vessels for offshore research. The Research & Development Corporation (RDC) also contributed $1.5 million to the centre.