RV Naturaliste

The Southern Coastal Research Vessel Fleet includes the RV Naturaliste which is owned and operated by the Department of Primary Industries and Regional Development in Western Australia. It was commissioned in 2001 and is a 22 m hard chined displacement steel vessel fitted with trawl booms and stabilisers, designed to operate all forms of fishing gear and with the ability to deploy and retrieve specialised and heavy research equipment.

The vessel can operate up to 200 nautical miles from the Australian mainland with accommodation for the 5 crew and up to 6 scientific staff in mostly two-berth cabins for overnight voyages and up to 11 scientific staff for single day voyages.

Capabilities

The main activities undertaken by the RV Naturaliste include:

• annual surveys to monitor variations in recruitment and spawning stocks
• collect abundance and biological data using specialised equipment
• undertake multi-disciplinary research using combinations of gear including trawls, fish traps, crustacean pots, baited remote underwater video (BRUVs), towed underwater survey cameras and the deployment of oceanographic monitoring equipment
• simultaneously collecting data on multiple stocks during the same survey
• undertaking semi-commercial fishing to fill gaps in management data during peak fishing periods when commercial vessel availability is limited
• offshore research in deep waters or remote areas of WA, particularly the Kimberley region.

Equipment

• Desalination and provisions for around 14 days at sea
• Trawling booms and winches for 2 × 8 fathom nets
• Longline winch
• Pot winch capable of pulling BRUVs, fishing, lobster traps
• 1 tonne crane on bow
• A-frame on stern for deploying and retrieving heavy research or mooring equipment
• 2 kw and 1 kw transducer
• Olex 3D depth and substrate mapping system
• C-Plot and TimeZero navigation systems
• Refuelling capabilities to support multiple smaller vessels
• Multiple hydraulic attachment points
• VSAT satellite data connection with Wi-Fi
• 4.8 m tender with a 5 nm survey for 4 personnel

Specifications

Contact

Kelvin Rushworth – RV Naturaliste
Email: Kelvin.Rushworth@dpird.wa.gov.au