INDEMARES-5 Cruise, RV García del Cid

INDEMARES-5 Cruise (29GD20111031) carried out on the Research Vessel García del Cid in 2011To study the benthic communities of the Cap de Creus canyon and the Menorca channel.The campaign was carried out on board the García del Cid Oceanographic Ship from October 31 to November 3, 2011, with the objective of carrying out as many ROV transects as possible in those areas that had not been explored in previous campaigns and to recover the Anchoring with the sediment trap of the Son Bou canyon for its maintenance and collection of accumulated samples.Each dive lasted approximately 2 to 4 hours, during which it was not possible to carry out any other type of activity on the deck (sets of dredges, CTD, etc.). A total of seven transects were made. Between dives and at dusk, after the last dive, they took advantage of activities such as trips with the Martin Rauschert dredge to characterize the infauna and megafauna communities. A total of 8 sets were made, of which two were failed. The hauls in the north zone of the channel were intensified because there is little information about the macrofauna and 5 were made in the vicinity of the Cap de Formentor, at depths ranging between 140 and 180 m. One set was made on the platform at a depth of 85 m. In order to characterize the water column at a physical-chemical level and the population of heterotrophic plankton on a seasonal basis, CTD profiles were made and water and plankton samples were collected at points previously sampled in INDEMARES 3 and 4 campaigns inside and outside of the canyon. At each sampling point, four zooplankton diurnal catches and four nocturnal zooplankton catches were made. During the course of the campaign, zooplankton fishing was attempted using two benthic light traps. On November 1, one of the traps was lost due to an incident during the haul maneuvers on deck. An attempt was made to recover the light trap using the ROV, but it was not possible to locate it. The second light trap could be recovered, although one of the mesh of the codend broke and the sample was lost. On October 31, the anchorage was recovered with a sediment trap and several sensors after having stayed a year and two months in the Son Bou canyon at a depth of 463 m. Once on the deck the jars were recovered with the sediment samples and replaced by empty bottles with 10% formaldehyde, the batteries of different sensors and the acoustic release were changed, the status of the different sensors was checked and the shackles were changed and damaged chains with the aim of prolonging the sampling one year and two months more. On November 1 the anchor was left at the same depth inside the canyon. On November 1 an attempt was made to obtain a sediment control with a HAPS sediment collector in the central zone of the Canal, however due to the characteristics of the sediment the guillotine of the collector did not complete its route and part of the sediment was lost. This campaign was the shortest of all due to bad weather. Different transects were made in lobster fishing grounds of the continental shelf in which numerous young individuals were observed. During this campaign the mooring of the Son Bou canyon was recovered and it was anchored again to prolong the sampling one more year. In the dives carried out on the platform, funds from Maërl with Paramuricea macrospina were observed. The transects made in the slope were very diverse. The transect made to the south of the channel, at the head of the Son Bou canyon, dominated the thick sand bottoms, while the transect made to the north of the channel was dominated by rock bottoms with several gorgonian species such as Viminella flagellum, Eunicella sp. and Callogorgia verticillata as well as antipathylates: Parantipathes larix, Antipathes dichotoma and Leiopathes glaberrim