#MarineScience - Canada's Minister of Fisheries and Oceans Gail Shea joined Kathryn Sullivan, US Undersecretary of Commerce for Oceans and Atmosphere and NOAA Administrator and Marine Minister Simon Coveney to issue a statement yesterday (Friday 24 July) welcoming the second Atlantic Ocean research project to be conducted under the Galway Statement.
The expedition to map the North Atlantic Ocean seabed between Halifax, Nova Scotia and Tromsø, Norway aboard the Canadian Coast Guard Ship Louis S. St-Laurent marks "the continuation of an exciting science collaboration between Canada, the US and the European Union. It further demonstrates our commitment to the implementation of the Galway Statement which unites us around a shared commitment to the stewardship of the Atlantic Ocean.
"Members from Fisheries and Oceans Canada's Canadian Hydrographic Service, the United States' National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), INFOMAR (the Marine Institute of Ireland and Geological Survey of Ireland), and the Fisheries and Marine Institute of Memorial University will use deep-water multi-beam echo sounder technology to create high resolution images of the seabed and gather information on the physical characteristics of the seafloor, such as depth, hardness, and sediment cover, while also acquiring valuable oceanographic data. The project, in keeping with the spirit of the Galway Statement, will further our understanding of the Atlantic Ocean's dynamic environment through collaboration and shared resources.
"By pooling our intellectual capital, resources, and by working together on research and monitoring programs, we can make long-lasting advances in understanding the ocean we share. The information collected by our scientific team will contribute to the sustainable management of Atlantic Ocean resources, a more comprehensive suite of maps of the seabed floor and an increased understanding of this complex ecosystem."