The central and eastern North-Atlantic Ocean is the main study area of the MEESO project.
Major parts of the central and eastern North-Atlantic Ocean will be surveyed, including the Nordic Seas and the Bay of Biscay, during the MEESO field campaign.
The campaign will be a joint effort between academic institutions and the industry, involving research as well as fisheries vessels.
The mesopelagic ecosystem will be mapped from the continental shelves to the deep oceans and across oceanic ridges. North-south and east-west transects will encompass biological, chemical and physical gradients, e.g. primary production, biomass of epipelagic populations (including commercial fish stocks) and sea-bottom topography. The potential for fisheries will be mapped.
Many dedicated mesopelagic cruises have already been conducted since 2016, and the data from these will be included in the MEESO project.
MEESO field campaign. Scientific and experimental fisheries cruises. Click to see enlarged map.
The project area also covers pilot and/or trial commercial fishing areas in Icelandic and Norwegian waters.