| The primary objective is to collect fish, cephalopod, and crustacean specimens from
the bottom and midwaters at maximum depths possible with available trawl wire. These
collections will be used for tissue samples, photographs of freshly collected specimens
and systematic characters, and voucher specimens in museum collections at the National
Museum of Natural History, Peabody Museum, the Museum of Comparative Zoology, and
the Delaware Museum of Natural History. These collections and observations contribute
to ongoing research on biodiversity of deepwater nekton and other megafauna in the
western North Atlantic. Additionally, the cruise will provide educational experience
in deep-sea biology to students several institutions. |