IMIS

The 50 day voyage on the research vessel Tangaroa involved an extensive survey of marine organisms from viruses to pelagic and demersal fish and cephalopods in depths from the surface down to 3500 m, and from the continental shelf and slope of the Ross Sea to unexplored seamounts and abyssal plains immediately to the north. Pelagic and benthic sampling gear, including plankton nets, mid-water and demersal trawls, seabed cameras, sleds, and corers were deployed in each habitat to obtain samples for a broad range of research programmes led by scientists from New Zealand research institutes and universities with collaborating scientists from the USA and Italy. Despite some of the worst ice conditions for 30 years, a total of 282 gear deployments were made at 39 sites covering a wide range of habitats. The EBS (Brenke sled) was deployed 15 times.