1,300 Miles Along the Seafloor
RSA HabCam June Cruise Report
July 1, 2026
Over two research survey trips, our HabCam team completed over 1,300 nm of tracks in the Mid-Atlantic (MAB), Georges Banks (GB), and the Nantucket Lightship South (NLSS). Due to unseasonably rough weather, the trips experienced a few days of weather delays across both legs. Leg 1 (MAB May 19th to 23rd) concluded ahead of schedule due to a severe storm, while Leg 2 (May 25th to June 4th) surveyed the remaining MAB track and the entire GB track, including the NLSS.
Along the way, we found a large school of herring. The imagery also included some lobsters, a glove, and a pic of potential monkfish mating (larger female monkfish with 2 smaller males around). We also saw a significant number of jellyfish throughout our Orsted and RSA trips — far more than we have ever seen in past years.
As for the scallops, notable seed scallop aggregations were observed in Closed Area 2, particularly in the eastern portion of the track. In the NLSS, the large 2023 settlement appeared to be densely settled and healthy. We also saw signs of recruitment in the Mid-Atlantic.
We pulled the imagery into a video compilation. Image annotations are currently underway, and quantitative survey results, including biomass estimates and length-frequency distributions, will be presented at the Plan Development Team meeting scheduled for late August.