Contact: Jeanne Kouhestani FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
12/2/96
The ability of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration to conduct fisheries research and to assess fish stock levels along the northeast U.S. coast has been enhanced significantly with the completion of a major upgrade to the NOAA ship DELAWARE II. The 155-ft. vessel has returned to its home port in Woods Hole, Mass., and will resume operations this week.
The DELAWARE II's sea time will be spent primarily in support of the National Marine Fisheries Service's Northeast Fisheries Science Center programs. The data collected by the vessel are used by NMFS, the New England and Mid-Atlantic Regional Fisheries Management Councils, and the Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission to determine sustainable yield levels for commercial fish stock and to assess protected species.
The shipyard work to upgrade the DELAWARE II was completed under a NOAA best value contract with Detyen's Shipyard Inc. of Mount Pleasant, S.C. The contract included the upgrade of trawl and oceanographic deck equipment, fisheries hydroacoustic systems, a scientific computer system, upgraded laboratory spaces, additional staterooms for scientists, and modern communications and navigation systems.
Prior to the shipyard work, NOAA determined that the basic configuration and physical condition of the DELAWARE II was sufficient to make it a good candidate for a service life extension. Based on NOAA's assessment, extending the vessel's service life for 10-12 years is a cost-effective solution for providing needed vessel support in the Northeast and will satisfy NOAA's needs until more modern ships can be built. NOAA has had little success in finding suitable commercial vessels to charter because the vessels would be required to conduct a full spectrum of fisheries assessment and data collection work -- ranging from trawling to oceanographic research.
Personnel from the Office of NOAA Corps Operations operate and manage the DELAWARE II and the other research ships and aircraft of NOAA's fleet. ONCO consists both of civilians and of officers of the NOAA Commissioned Corps, which is one of the nation's seven uniformed services along with those of the Department of Defense, Coast Guard, and U.S. Public Health Service.
###NOTE: Information about the DELAWARE II, NOAA fleet, and Office of NOAA Corps Operations can be found on NOAA Corp's web site at: http://www.noaa.gov/nchome