As part of the Great African Expedition, a full range of scientific research has been completed in the 2024-2025 region of Mauritania

 

The research was carried out within the framework of the current intergovernmental agreement between the Russian Federation and the Islamic Republic of Mauritania on cooperation in the field of marine fisheries and fisheries from May 12, 2003.

 

The program of joint research in the EEZ of Mauritania was agreed upon on January 3, 2025 at the Mauritanian Institute of Oceanographic Research and Fisheries (IORF) during the Meeting of experts of the Atlantic branch of VNIRO and IORF when the STM "Atlantis" entered the roadstead of the port of Nouadhibou (Mauritania).

 

Four Mauritanian specialists from IORF worked on board the vessel: Sid' Ahmed Hemmed (acoustician), Beyih Semetta (biologist and ichthyoplanktonologist), Khalid Limam Maleck (database specialist and hydrochemist), Oussmane Sarr (database specialist and geostatistician). On January 20, 2025, the IMROP staff left the vessel.

 

In addition to direct scientific research, monitoring of the work of foreign fishing fleets in the EEZ of Mauritania, Senegal and Gambia was also carried out.

 

During the survey, 21 pelagic trawling surveys were carried out, about 7.5 thousand fish specimens and about 0.5 thousand invertebrates were measured, about 2 thousand fish specimens and about 0.5 thousand invertebrates were subjected to biological analysis, about 1 thousand samples were taken to determine the age of fish. 47 hydrological and 27 hydrobiological stations were carried out. 1655 hydrochemical analyses of water samples were made to determine dissolved oxygen, phosphates, silicon, nitrite nitrogen and pH, about 100 samples were determined for chlorophyll "a", 160 samples of phytoplankton, zooplankton and ichthyoplankton were taken. About 1000 nautical miles were covered with acoustic support.

 

The R&D program in the Mauritania EEZ has been fully implemented.

 

Press service of VNIRO