Fishery Research Vessel “Walther Herwig III”

The “Walther Herwig III” cruises in sea areas with deep offshore fishing (Baltic, North Sea, North Atlantic). Here pelagic and bottom trawl nets, biological sample trawl and plankton nets as well as oceanographic sensors are used.

Link to the current position

The "Walther Herwig III", built in 1993, is the biggest of the three fisheries research vessels. (© Thünen-Institut) FRV Walther Herwig III at the pier in the fishing harbour of Bremerhaven (© Michael Welling) View from behind (© Thünen-Institut) Successful fishing (© Thünen-Institut) Warning on deck (© Michael Welling) Walther Herwig in rough sea (© Thünen-Institut) A sampling net is proposed (© Thünen-Institut) The "Nackthai", a tool to collect plankton (© Thurid Otto) Stop over in a harbour in Greenland (© Thünen-Institut/Manfred Stein)

Technical Data

Vessel type	Stern trawler
Length overall	63.18 m
Beam overall	15.22 m
Draft (maximum)	5.96 m
Main engine	2900 kW
Speed (maximum)	14.5 kn
Ship’s crew	21 persons
Scientific crew	12 persons
Laboratories	7
Shipyard	Rolandwerft, Berne / Peenewerft, Wolgast
Build	December 1993
Home port	Bremerhaven
Call sign	DBFR
Cruise duration	2 to 7 weeks
Cruise days per year	about 280

About the name of the vessel

Dr. h.c. Walther Herwig (1838-1912) was a Prussian magistrate; the father of German deep sea fishing and fish production; co-initiator of German and European internationally coordinated fishery research; co-founder and first president of the International Council for the Exploration of the Sea (ICES) in Copenhagen in 1902.

Schedules

Schedule 2018 (in German)

Schedule 2017 (in German)

Schedule 2016 (in German)

Schedule 2015 (in German)

Schedule 2014 (in German)

Schedule 2013 (in German)