1977 Eastern Irish Sea Groundfish Survey Catch Data from the Silver Star

Catch data from three groundfish surveys conducted in the eastern Irish Sea during 1977 aboard the fishing vessel Silver Star. The surveys used a Boris Goshawk trawl towed for one hour, recording numbers at length by centimetre for main commercial fish species and station positions by area. The data is part of a longer time series of surveys carried out from 1976 to 1991.

Use Cases

• Analyzing historical fish population size structure based on recorded numbers at length.
• Studying spatial distribution of commercial species based on recorded station positions by area.
• Modeling temporal trends in groundfish communities as part of the 1976-1991 survey time series.
• Assessing trawl survey methodology and catch efficiency for the Boris Goshawk gear.

Strengths

• Data is part of a defined time series of surveys spanning 15 years (1976-1991).
• Surveys followed a standardized methodology using a specific trawl type towed for a fixed duration.
• Records include specific biological measurements (numbers at length by centimetre) for commercial species.

Limitations

• Column-level documentation is absent; field semantics must be inferred after download.
• Row count is unknown, which may limit suitability assessment for statistical modeling.
• Last update date is unknown; freshness unverified.

Provenance

Source

Government Digital Service

Collection Method

Scientific surveys using a Boris Goshawk trawl towed for one hour.

Time Range

1977

Freshness

Historical data from 1977; update frequency is unknown.

Geography

Eastern Irish Sea