ESHS/HSS Annual Meeting

Fisheries Research Vessel Explorer: Mapping Networks Reconnecting the History of Scotland’s Marine Science in the North Sea

• In Event: Fishing for Science

English Abstract

Torry Marine Lab's steamship Explorer (active 1956-1984) was the first purpose-built Fisheries Research Vessel to be built in Scotland and represents a direct link to the scientific work of HMS Challenger and its wider connections to Scotland's contribution to the history of marine science. As a floating science laboratory Explorer tested fishing gear, acoustics, underwater film and photography as well as gathering data and samples for natural sciences collections across the UK. Data gathered included sea temperature and salinity, net strength, health of fish stocks, and baseline cruises monitoring biodiversity and marine pollution around the areas designated for the new North Sea Oil fields. The ship worked around the North Sea, including as part of an international emergency response to the Ekofisk oil platform blow-out in May 1977, and as far north as Greenland, Iceland, and the Faroe Islands. The ship also hosted a range of international marine scientists and worked in partnership on a series of comparative fishing experiments with research ships from Germany, Norway, and France on ICES Young Fish Surveys and other examples of international cooperation. This paper will focus on the extent to which one ship’s career history can illustrate the interconnectedness of marine science: combining natural sciences, technology and the spirit of international scientific networks.

Author

• Meredith Clare Greiling, National Museums Scotland