Project Management and Operations
CINEMar/Open Ocean Aquaculture Annual Progress Report for the period 1/01/05 through 12/31/05
Principal Investigator: Michael Chambers
Operational Team: Glen Rice, Forbes Horton, Stanley Boduch, Robert Love and Timothy McClare
I. Accomplishments
A. Scheduled Tasks
1. Manage and coordinate research activities at the OOA research site.
2. Disseminate information from the OOA project to industry and academia
3. Harvest cod
4. Renovate Sea Station fish cages
5. Develop a containment management plan
6. Conduct offshore dive operations
7. Aid mussel technology transfer
8. Deploy and field test the JPS / SBIR cage
9. Transfer and raise new group of cod
10. Maintain 0.5-ton feed buoy offshore
11. Deploy and maintain the HTI fish tracking buoy
12. Analyze tensions in the grid
B. Progress on Tasks
1. Manage and coordinate research activities at the OOA research site.
The year’s research activities ranged from harvesting cod and tracking their movements to measuring tensions within the grid and field testing new containment systems. Weekly meetings were held with project staff to discuss and prioritize activities of the farm. Meetings were also held with principle investigators to aid them with their research activities offshore. Offshore operations to maintain experiments and infrastructure at the site are weather dependent, so during adverse conditions, shore based activities such as equipment maintenance and field prep work are scheduled.
Two new personnel were brought in to replace outgoing personnel. Rob Love replaced Caleb Thibeault as project dive supervisor and Tim McClare replaced Forbes Horton as captain of the R/V Meriel B. Both Rob and Tim bring a new perspective and a tremendous amount of knowledge and experience in diving and working offshore.
2. Disseminate technologies from the project with industry and academia.
Field observations and information derived from the project were shared at national and international conferences and workshops. Project activities were also presented at local institutions such as Shoals Marine Lab, University of New England, Urban Forestry Center and the Barrington Elementary School. A complete list of presentations and meetings can be found in section E of this report.
Other collaborations that are gaining momentum are with SINTEF Aquaculture and Fisheries in Trondheim, Norway and with the Canadian Consulate Generals’ Office in Boston and the National Research Counsel in New Brunswick, Canada. Both countries are very interested in working with UNH to establish similar programs.
3. Cod Harvest
The initial task that had to be completed in 2006 was to harvest the remainder of the 2003 year class of cod to make room for another group of cod was scheduled to be stocked in the spring of 2006. To expedite the harvest process, the cage was relocated to a semi-protected area near the Isle of Shoals.
A 90’ scalloper, F/V Priscilla Nolin was brought in to tow the cage to Gosport Harbor, 2 miles from the offshore site (Figure 1). The scalloper was contracted though Shafmaster Fishing from Newington, NH. The fish were harvested live and transported to 35m3 holding pens under the Coastal Marine Lab pier (Figure 2). Cod were held here until the summer of 2006 when they were sold live to Pacific Trade at a mean weight of 1.7 kg. Cod were also provided to GBA to add to their Gulf of Maine broodstock collection.
4. Renovate Sea Station fish cages
Both Sea Station (SS) fish cages were overhauled and made ready for new experiments.
SS 3000 cage
The SS 3000 net was removed and dropped to the bottom in Gosport Harbor in February 2006, after the cod harvest. Due to the weight of the net, Pepperell Cove Mooring was brought in to recover the net with their barge and crane. The net was then trucked to Cards Aquaculture in Pennfield, NB where it was cleaned, mended and a coat of antifouling paint was applied. Prior to mending, staff members traveled to Cards to inspect the net for wear and breaches. Several holes were found after the net was cleaned that were not noticed when the net was offshore. The holes ranged from 2.4 cm to 7 cm in length. Cod are known for their ability to chew through nets and so more frequent net inspections have been adopted to minimize this problem in the future (see section I.B.5 of this report).
In March, the repaired net was reattached to the cage frame in Gosport Harbor. The cage was then towed back to the OOA site with a 37’ U.S. Coast Guard Cutter and anchored in the NE quadrant of the grid.
SS 600 cage
The net was removed from SS 600 cage after the haddock harvest in the fall of 2005. This net was also cleaned and prepped by Cards Aquaculture before being attached to the cage in August of 2006 (Figure 3). The articulating crane on board the Meriel B was used to lower and attach the net to the top of the spar. Divers shackled the net to the rim and bottom of the spar. Problems with the eight spoke line attachments to the top of the spar were encountered. Several of eye splices done at Cards and were not of equal length. In addition, after the net was coated with antifouling paint, it was not stretched out evenly as it dried thus resulting in different lengths of the spoke lines. This problem was addressed by looping of the eyes around the sheaves various times to make similar lengths. These components of the net will be closely monitored and tightened if necessary. The SS 600 cage is currently submerged and awaiting the next group of halibut.
5. Develop containment Management plan
A Containment Management plan was drafted and submitted to the New Hampshire Fish and Game Department. The purpose of this document was to establish procedures to minimize the unintended release of aquacultured fish during transport, growout containment, sampling and harvesting operations. The procedures include consideration of the construction, materials, inspection and maintenance of containment technologies and engineered systems; inventory of monitoring techniques; operational procedures for vessel handling, SCUBA operations and fish transport; and remedial measures and reporting procedures should an escapement event occur. It also establishes self-imposed restrictions for the project on the genetic makeup of fish stocked in containment structures, and proposes future research to develop more secure containment systems.
6. Conduct offshore dive operations
UNH OOA diving operations at the site during 2006 followed OSHA guidelines (Figure 4). A working dive team consisted of four divers and a dedicated boat captain. Two divers were in the water at all times, with the second pair acting as stand-by divers. If the dive plan called for more than two divers in the water at one time, the dive team was increased accordingly. Each working dive was methodically planned, keeping in mind depth, bottom time, equipment and task to be performed. No dive deviated from the dive plan unless first authorized by the diving safety officer. Each diver’s working dive was recorded on the vessel dive log sheet. Diving was not attempted in rough seas. No diver entered the water without wearing a redundant air supply. When performing a penetration dive into the cage, the dive team carried a third air supply. Due to the strict adherence to safe practices, no diving accidents or cases of DCS (decompression sickness) occurred. All UNH OOA divers are certified in open water diving and have up-to-date CPR and oxygen administration certifications. In addition to the certifications listed above, the diving supervisor is also a HSE Part I Offshore Commercial Air Diver.
During the year, the dive work included the following:
a. Scientific Dives
Divers entered the SS 3000 cage to monitor fish behavior, remove mortalities, collect live samples of fish for growth study, and tagging. Divers installed cameras, hydrophones and turbidity meters, all of which required subsequent maintenance. A fish counter was installed prior to removal of the nursery net from the SS 3000 to determine the quantity of fish leaving the nursery net into the main cage. Divers played a large part in the deployment of the HTI buoy and the SBIR cage. After the SBIR cage was deployed, divers were essential in assessing the cage’s ability to withstand the harsh offshore environment and made key observations vital to the engineer’s research.
b. Working Dives
These dives were performed on a weekly basis, weather permitting. Tasks performed included inspection, net cleaning, and general repair and maintenance. General maintenance included patching of holes in the net, replacing both entry zippers, cleaning of the cages and grid, timely replacement of all sacrificial zincs, and frequent inspections of all mooring lines. Bolts on flanges of the feed and cage systems were periodically checked and replaced when signs of wear were apparent. The pennant line was constantly monitored and the depth at the top of spar was frequently checked. When necessary, air was added to the spar to raise or lower the cage. After large storms, pendant weights holding the cages down would sink into the muddy soft bottom thus submerging the cages to deeper depths. To solve this problem, divers would retrieve the secondary pendant lines and the R/V Meriel B would pull the steamer chain from the mud.
7. Aid mussel technology transfer
Technical and diving support was provided to Andy Lang in the deployment of his mussel longlines at the commercial mussel site near Boars Head (Figure 5). More information can be found in the Technology Transfer section of the Atlantic Marine Aquaculture Center / Open Ocean Aquaculture Annual Report.
8. Deploy and field test the JPS / SBIR cage
The operations crew aided the engineering staff and JPS in the construction and deployment of the prototype SBIR cage (Figure 6). The cage was assembled in June 2006 at the Port Authority in Portsmouth, NH before being towed out to the UNH site. At the site, a chain pendant and airlift were attached and lowered into position beneath the lower rim of the cage. The 1100 m3 net with 1” stretch mesh was lifted and placed into the center of the HDPE collar with the Meriel B crane. Divers then clipped and strapped the net onto the upper and lower rim. Two load cells were placed in the cages NE and SW bridle lines to measure tensions on the cage.
The cage and net were maintained and monitored until recovery in November 2006. Presently, the cage is onshore being inspected and analyzed for wear points. For more information on the JPS cage, please see section I.B.1 of the Open Ocean Aquculture Engineering Annual Report.
9. Transfer and raise new group of cod
A total of 50,000, cod were transferred end of April to the OOA site from Great Bay Aquaculture’s hatchery in Newington, NH. The 35g fish were starved for 24 hours before being pumped from nursery tanks and counted into 5m3 transfer tanks on a flatbed trailer. Tanks and trailer were leased from Cooke Aquaculture in Oquossac, ME. Two tanks were kept on the trailer while two tanks were placed on the R/V Meriel B. The cod were transported to Rye Harbor and sluiced from the truck into tanks on the boat through a 125’ long, 4” diameter PVC hose (Figure 7). During the one-hour trip offshore, flow-though seawater and diffused oxygen were applied, and oxygen concentrations in the tanks were closely monitored. Transport densities in the tanks were 50 kg/m3. At the site, the fish were sluiced from the boat into a 200m3 nursery net inside the 3000m3 Sea Station fish cage.
Despite the expeditious transfer from the hatchery to offshore site (< 4 hours), mortalities of approximately 6% occurred during the first two weeks. Reasons for this could be stress prior to and during transfer as well adaptation to the new environment at sea. Other reasons could be the geometry of the nursery net. Cod would crowd in the corners of the net, pushing each other against the nylon net. Numerous fish exhibited abrasions on their pelvic, pectoral and caudal fins. This problem continued on a low, chronic level throughout their duration in the nursery net. Cod were held in the nursery net until October when they were large enough (150 g) to be released into the main net. Final density in the nursery net prior to release was 40 kg/m3. Since their release, mortality has been insignificant.
The 0.5-ton automated feed buoy delivered feed twice a day to the cod. Feed amounts were adjusted periodically based upon fish size and temperature. Supplementary feedings were provided 2-4 times per week via a venturi pump system on board the R/V Meriel B. The feed was a semi sinking, marine diet produced by Burris Feed Company in Baton Rouge, LA, consisting of 50% protein and 14% lipid. The Burris diet was fed initially at 20kg/day and by December 2006, 105kg/day. Biomass in the cage is estimated at 12,900 kg. Sampling has occurred monthly for weight, length, gonadsosomatic index (GSI), hepatosomatic index (HSI), survival and gut content. Fish are maintained in the cage at depths between 15-25 meters. Temperatures offshore have ranged from 50C in April to 14°C in August and currently are at 8.5°C in late December 2006
10. Maintain the 0.5-ton feed buoy
The 0.5-ton feed buoy was modified twice in 2006 to extend its utility (Figure 8). It will continue to feed until the new 20-ton feed buoy is completed. More information on modifications can be found in I.B.3. of the Project Infrastructure Annual Report.
11. Deploy and maintain the HTI Fish Tracking buoy
A retired Coast Guard navigation buoy was retrofitted to house the Hydro Acoustic Technologies (HTI) receiver, batteries and CPU. A four-point mooring was designed to position the buoy in the center of the grid. In this position, cables from the buoy could reach any cage in the grid complex. The buoy was towed and deployed offshore in June 2006 (Figure 9). Cabling for the four hydrophones, three video cameras and current meter were then attached to the cage rim at a depth of 25m. From the rim, cabling was distributed around the cage for hydrophone and camera placement.
Cod were periodically collected by divers with hand nets, decompressed over 5-6 hours and brought live to the surface. At the surface, fish were measured and an ultrasonic transmitter was surgically implanted into their abdominal cavity (Figure 10). The fish were then returned to the cage and released. Tagged fish were monitored for activity, feeding and spatial distribution.
The buoy was outfitted with six solar panels and a wind turbine to help maintain the batteries for operating the HTI system. However, this was not enough power to sustain the electronics for more than 5 days. As a result, eight batteries were swapped out with a set of newly charged batteries once a week during the peak monitoring months. This activity was carried out with the articulating crane on board the R/V Meriel B on days when seas were relatively calm.
HTI monitoring activities were conducted through November. The buoy was then recovered from the grid in December and towed back to a mooring block near the Port Authority.
12. Analysis of tensions in the grid
See section I.A.2. in the Open Ocean Aquaculture Engineering Annual Report.
C. Important Results or Findings
Results have been described in the above progress report.
D. Difficulties Encountered
Delays with the 20-ton feed buoy have necessitated the continued use of the 0.5 -feed buoy. This feeder lacks the capacity to feed the current cod biomass so supplementary feeding will be provided from the Meriel B throughout the winter when weather permits.
A batch of feed from Burris was incorrectly formulated and floated rather than sink slowly. This caused clogging in the feed delivery hose. The problem was resolved when the buoy was brought back ashore for an overhaul. In the future, feed will be more closely monitored for consistency and quality.
The second production run of halibut has been deferred until the 20-ton feed buoy has been relocated and made operational.
E. Anticipated Success in Meeting Project Objectives on Schedule
All goals were met, though construction delays with the 20-ton feed buoy has deferred the halibut experiment.
F. Reports, manuscripts, and presentations resulting from the project
Publications 2006:
Chambers, M.D. and W.H. Howell (2006). Preliminary information on cod and haddock production in submerged cages off the coast of New Hampshire, USA. ICES Journal of Marine Science, Vol. 63, no. 2 Mar. 2006.
Presentations 2006:
Boduch, S.J. and J.D. Irish, “Aquaculture Feed Buoy Control - Part 1: System Controller,” Proc. Oceans06, Boston MA, Sept, 2006.
Chambers, M.D. Operational Challenges for Open Ocean Aquaculture in the United States. University of New England, Biddeford, ME, Dec. 1, 2006.
Chambers, M.D., R. Langan, W.H. Howell, B. Celikkol and R. Barnaby. Recent Developments at the University of New Hampshire Open Ocean Aquaculture Project. Aquaculture Canada 2006, Halifax, Canada, Nov. 22, 2006.
Chambers, M.D. Aquaculture Containment Systems for Tomorrow. SINTEF-UNH-NTNU workshop ‘Biological and Technological Research for Offshore Aquaculture’ University of New Hampshire, Durham, NH, Nov 6, 2006.
Chambers, M. D. and H. Howell. Open Ocean Aquaculture of Cod, Haddock and Halibut in the Gulf of Maine. Canada / U.S. Technology Partnership in Sustainable Open Ocean Aquaculture Workshop. University of New Hampshire, Durham, NH, Nov. 2, 2006.
Chambers, M.D. Global Status of Offshore Aquaculture. International Workshop on Open Ocean Aquaculture, Canakkale Onsekiz Mart University, Canakkale, Turkey, Aug. 19, 2006.
Chambers, M.D. Methods for Commercial Offshore Mussel Production using Submerged Longlines. International Workshop on Open Ocean Aquaculture, Canakkale Onsekiz Mart University, Canakkale, Turkey, Aug. 19, 2006.
Chambers, M.D. An Incubator for Open Ocean Aquaculture Technologies, the University of New Hampshire’s Submerged Test Platform. Aqua2006, World Aquaculture Society Florence, Italy, May 10, 2006.
Chambers, M. D. Undersea Farming in the Gulf of Maine. Shoals Marine Laboratory, Appledore Island, NH, Aug. 16, 2006
Chambers, M.D. Trials and Tribulations of Open Ocean, Aquaculture in New Hampshire. Urban Forestry Center, Portsmouth, NH, April 5, 2006.
Chambers, M.D. Open Ocean Aquaculture at the University of New Hampshire. Barrington Elementary School, Barrington, NH, May 17, 2006.
DeCew, J., B. Celikkol, K. Baldwin, S. Boduch, M. Chambers, D.W. Fredriksson, J.D. Irish, O. Patursson, G. Rice, M.R. Swift, I. Tsukrov and C.A. Turmelle, “Engineering Overview of the University of New Hampshire’s Open Ocean Aquaculture Project,” Proc. Oceans06, Boston MA, Sept, 2006.
Irish, J.D., S.J. Boduch and W. Paul, “Coil-cord Conductors on Elastic Moorings,” Proc. Oceans06, Boston MA, Sept 2006.
Irish, J.D. and S.J. Boduch, “Aquaculture Feed Buoy Control - Part 2: Telemetry, Data Handling, and Shore-Based Control” Proc. Oceans06, Boston MA, Sept, 2006.
Rice, G., S. Boduch, J. DeCew, J.D. Irish, M.R. Swift and C.A. Turmelle, “An Investigation of a Deployed Submerged Grid Mooring System,” Proc. Oceans06, Boston MA, Sept, 2006.
Turmelle, C., M. Swift, B. Celikkol, M. Chambers, J. DeCew, D. Fredriksson, G. Rice, and K. Swanson, “Design of a 20-ton Finfish Aquaculture Feeding buoy,” Proc. Oceans06, Boston MA, Sept, 2006.
Watson, W., H. Howell, M.D. Chambers, A. Lambert and C. Rillahan. The Use of Biotelemetry to Measure Cod Energetics and Behavior in an Offshore Net Pen. SINTEF-UNH-NTNU workshop ‘Biological and technological research for offshore aquaculture’ University of New Hampshire, Durham, NH. November 6, 2006.
Meetings and Workshops 2006:
International Panel Discussion for the future of Open Ocean Aquaculture. Aqua2006, World Aquaculture Society Florence, Italy. May 10, 2006.
Canada / U.S. Technology Partnership in Sustainable Open Ocean Aquaculture Workshop. University of New Hampshire, Durham, NH. October 31-November 2, 2006
Session Moderator for “Technology II Cultured Species”. Canada / U.S. Technology Partnership in Sustainable Open Ocean Aquaculture Workshop. University of New Hampshire, Durham, NH. November 2, 2006.
Canadian Offshore Aquaculture Workshop. Memorial University, St. George, Newfoundland. January 16-18, 2006.
SINTEF-UNH-NTNU workshop ‘Biological and technological research for offshore aquaculture’ University of New Hampshire, Durham, NH. November 6-10, 2006. Figure 11.
American Soybean Association / United Soybean Board, Open Ocean Aquaculture workshop. University of New Hampshire, Durham, NH. July 20-23, 2006.
National and International Collaborations
United Soybean Board and American Soybean Association, St Louis, MO. Working together to improve the OCAT, submersible fish cage and associated feeder for China and the U.S.
SINTEFF, Trondheim, Norway. Currently building a consortium of industry and research institutions for the Centre for Research Based Innovation in Aquaculture Technology (CREATE).
Ocean Spar, Bainbridge, Washington. Currently fabricating a 20 ton feed buoy through a SBIR supported grant. Discussions have been held regarding new submersible fish cages and improvements to their existing Sea Station cage.
Great Bay Aquaculture, Newington, NH. Sharing information and developing culture techniques for cold water marine fish species.
National Research Council, New Brunswick, CA and the Canadian Consulate Generals Office, Boston, MA. Collaborations have commenced to create an open ocean aquaculture research and demonstration site in Atlantic Canada.
Aquaculture Engineering Group, Hillsborough, New Brunswick, CA. Working together to develop offshore feeding systems for Canada and the US.
Articles 2006 Driscoll, J. Innovative Fish Farm Research Underway off White Island. Rye Reflections June 10, 2006
II. Tasks and Activities for Next Reporting period
A. Tasks for the next reporting period
1. Continue to manage and coordinate research activities at the OOA site.
2. Continue to disseminate information from project to industry and academia
3. Deploy and operate 20-ton feed buoy system
4. Maintain and harvest cod
5. Initiate halibut culture
6. Deploy and evaluate submersible cage systems
7. Conduct dive operations at the OOA site
8. Support bluefin tuna research at the site
B. Brief work plan to accomplish these tasks.
1. Continue to manage and coordinate research activities at the OOA site.
Management of the OOA program will continue with coordinated activities between researchers and offshore farm operations.
2. Continue to collaborate with national and international partners and disseminate information from the OOA project with industry and academia.
Collaboration and technology transfer will continue. Upcoming meetings include Aquaculture America 2007 in San Antonio, TX, CREATE Day at SINTEF in Trondheim, NO and WAS Caribbean and Latin America Aquaculture 2007 in Puerto Rico.
3. Deploy and operate 20-ton feed buoy system
The 20-ton feed buoy will be towed from Canada to New Hampshire in the spring of 2007. A four-point, robust mooring made from 3’ diameter Polysteel will be installed adjacent to the NE corner of the grid prior to the buoy’s arrival. After the buoy has been installed, HDPE feed pipes, monitoring and hydrophone cabling will be installed. The pipe and cabling will be secured from the feed platform to the submerged grid and then on to the cages. The new buoy will be maintained by the operations crew and filled with fish food every 3-4 weeks as required.
4. Maintain and live harvest cod
Cod will be fed and maintained at site until they reach a mean weight of 750g. Live harvesting will be initiated when the new Coastal Marine Lab pier is completed in the summer of 2007. The pier is an important staging area that is used to transition fish from offshore cages to holding pens where they can be counted and weighed prior to their transfer to market. Harvest techniques will include the isolation and decompression of 500-2000kg of fish at a time. The fish will be pumped into 5m3 live haul tanks on board the R/V Meriel B and transferred to 35m3 holding pens under the pier. During the transfer, the live haul tanks will be supplied with flowing sea water and oxygen. Cod will be held in the pens awaiting transport to a warehouse in Boston where they are distributed to restaurants in the area.
In addition, the operations crew will work closely with the engineers and biologists to explore alternative harvesting techniques for the live removal and transport of the cod.
5. Halibut transfer and culture
A second experimental production run of Atlantic halibut (Hippoglossus hippoglossus) is scheduled for the spring of 2007. Approximately 3,500, 500g fish will be purchased from Scotia Halibut in Clarks Harbor, Nova Scotia. The halibut will be transferred to 5m3 tanks on board the R/V Meriel B, transported offshore and transferred into a SS 600 fish cage. A New Hampshire Fish and Game Import Permit and certificate of health will be acquired prior to transfer. Halibut will initially be raised at a density of 10 kg/m2 up to densities greater than 50 kg/m2. The fish will be fed and monitored daily with the new 20-ton feed buoy and sampled monthly for weight and length gain.
6. Deploy and evaluate submersible cage systems
JPS and UNH will construct a commercial-scale SBIR cage in the summer of 2007. The HDPE cage components will be assembled at the Port Authority and towed to sea and moored into the offshore grid for evaluation.
The American Soybean Association (ASA) has developed a small scale, semi submersible fish cage for coastal China. UNH engineers have conducted modeling assessments of the system to evaluate cage dynamics in the water column. Discussions are under way to work with a local fisherman to demonstrate the use of this technology for small-scale culture by the fishing community.
7. Conduct dive operations at the OOA site
Looking ahead, it has become apparent that certain aspects of the project could benefit from the use of surface supplied diving equipment. This type of diving would be ideal for general maintenance and eliminate the need to have two divers in the water and at any given time and would reduce the size of the dive team. The diver would have three redundant air supplies: a) main air, b) standby air, and c) bailout. The diver’s depth and time would be monitored at all times by the diving supervisor on board the boat, and there would be constant communication with the surface. The dive team would consist of a diver, a standby diver, and the diving supervisor. The standby diver would be suited and ready to enter the water at a moment’s notice should the diver require assistance. A surface supply would streamline the project’s diving operations and would simplify mobilization with regards to transferring of diving equipment and personal gear to and from the boat.
EQUIPMENT NEEDED FOR SURFACE SUPPLIED DIVING OPERATIONS
Equipment would consist of two 300 foot umbilicals and the use of two KMB 18 band masks. The diver’s air would be a high pressure bank of four tanks with the necessary piping and manifolds and one tank designated as the standby or reserve tank. This air supply would be sufficient for at least three days of diving at 60 fsw. The air is channeled through an air supply control box where the supervisor can monitor the diver’s air and depth. The communication box includes a back-up battery pack which would keep the diver in constant contact with the surface in the event of a power failure. The diver would wear a harness and a bailout bottle of at least 50 cubic feet. The umbilical is secured to the harness by a quick-release shackle rated to at least 500 lbs. In extreme cold weather conditions, the diver can be supplied with hot water from the surface apparatus through the umbilical making work conditions easier year round.
8. Support bluefin tuna research a the site
Researchers from the UNH Large Pelagics Lab are interested in collecting juvenile Bluefin tuna (Thunnus thynnus) and holding them in a surface cage at the OOA site. Here, the tuna could be temporarily studied before being released back into the wild. Funding did not come through in 2006 for this project but proposals will be put forth again for the 2007 field season.
C. Concerns or difficulties
No difficulties are expected at this time.
III. Expenditures
The expenditures were commensurate with the activities conducted.