Ever wonder what unique features a codfish looks for in a home? A team of scientists from federal and state agencies and academic institutions hope to learn more about this when they explore various seafloor habitats where cod and a variety of other marine species live. On Monday, August 29, scientists begin a seven-day research survey cruise to collect information on the seafloor, sediment and underwater footage of bottom habitat in a historically significant fishing area known as Jeffreys Ledge.
Jeffreys Ledge is a 33-mile glacial deposit that extends from the coast of Rockport, Massachusetts to just southeast of Cape Elizabeth, Maine. The shallow ledge is surrounded by deeper ocean waters. An oceanographic process known as upwelling occurs here that makes it a highly productive habitat. Upwelling involves a wind-driven motion, which brings dense, cooler, and usually nutrient-rich water towards the ocean surface. As a result, the Ledge supports a diversity of life including herring and mackerel, cod, haddock, dogfish, flounder, bluefin tuna and a variety of crustaceans and mollusks, such as shrimp, lobsters, crabs, scallops, and clams, which all come to feed or reproduce here.
Project partners include the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) , the New England Fishery Management Council , the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) , the Massachusetts Division of Marine Fisheries , New Hampshire Fish and Game and the Army Corps of Engineers , New England District , and the Piscataqua Region Estuaries Partnership.
Read the complete story from NOAA Fisheries Service