Contact Information
Address:
2002 SE Marine Science Drive
Newport, OR 97365-5229
United StatesPhone:
541-867-8775
NOAA Ship Bell M. Shimada
Bell M. Shimada is the fourth in a series of Oscar Dyson-class fisheries survey vessels designed to meet the National Marine Fisheries Service's (NOAA Fisheries) specific data collection requirements and the International Council for Exploration of the Seasâ standards for a low acoustic signature.
Bell M. Shimada conducts both acoustic and trawl surveys. For acoustic surveys, the ship uses a multibeam echo sounder (MBES) that projects a fan-shaped beam of sound that bounces back to the ship. The shipâs MBES, one of only three systems of its type worldwide, acquires data from both the water column and the sea floor. Scientists can detect fish as the ship passes over them, measuring the signal reflected by the fish to estimate their size and numbers. The system can also map and characterize the sea floor.
The ship operates primarily in U.S. waters from Washington State to southern California and is homeported at the NOAA Marine Operations Center-Pacific in Newport, Oregon.