SHIMADA Deep-coral Cruise 2010 - Virtual Tours

Scientists from NOAA Fisheries Service's Benthic Resources Group and NOAA Center for Coastal Environmental Health and Biomolecular Research participated in a six-day (November 1-6, 2010) research cruise aboard NOAA's newest Fisheries Survey Vessel (FSV), the Bell M. Shimada , to investigate deep-water sponges and corals between San Diego, CA and Seattle, WA. Remotely operated vehicle (ROV) surveys were conducted in Sur Canyon, south of Monterey Bay; on The Football, a bank north of San Francisco Bay; on Coquille Bank off the OR coast, and two sites within the Olympic Coast National Marine Sanctuary (OCNMS).

Underwater video and high-resolution still photographs were collected using the Southwest Fisheries Science Center's Phantom ROV . Many of these photos have been made available here , and a video of our encounter with several Humboldt squid (Dosidicus gigas) can be viewed here . `Fly-along' with the researchers in your browser by clicking on one of the five virtual tours below (Google Earth browser plug-in required). Toggle the boxes above the map to turn on/off the various features. Zoom in on the map and click on individual photos to see larger images and additional information. Or, download the KMZ file to view the tours externally using Google Earth.