On July 29, the scientific vessel Abate Molina set sail from the Port of Valparaíso to conduct a hydroacoustic survey of the continental shelf, between the northern border of the Coquimbo Region and the Los Ríos Region, to determine the common hake stock.
The cruise is led by fisheries engineer Víctor Catasti Barraza, and the vessel’s captain is José Echeverría. They, accompanied by an expert team of professionals, technicians, and the vessel’s crew, will conduct the hake-related studies.
The specific objectives are:
- To conduct a tentative number of 66 hydroacoustic survey transects perpendicular to the coastline.
- To make approximately 100 fishing trips to identify common hake echotrails.
- Obtain biological samples of common hake to determine its demographic structure and reproductive status.
- Quantify and identify the species that comprise the common hake’s by-product fauna.
- Establish bio-oceanographic stations to obtain zooplankton and ichthyoplankton samples and determine oceanographic conditions.
