NWIFCA Cockle Surveys for Stock Assessment, 1998 to Present
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Description
1998 to present, the North Western Inshore Fisheries and Conservation Authority (NWIFCA) has conducted surveys of cockle populations across its district. The data, collected to inform fishery management, includes density, size relative to a 20 mm minimum landing size, and age. Samples are also taken for weighing and to produce length frequency tables to estimate stock biomass.
Use Cases
Modeling cockle population density and growth based on survey data mentioned in the description
Estimating total stock biomass on the seabed based on sample weight and length frequency
Assessing fishery sustainability by analyzing size distributions against the 20 mm minimum landing size
Informing adaptive management strategies by identifying areas with potential commercial stocks
Strengths
Long-term time series starting in 1998, providing historical context
Data collection is tied to a specific management objective (fishery management)
Includes key biological metrics like density, size, and age
Limitations
Column-level documentation is absent; field semantics must be inferred after download
Row count is unknown, which may limit suitability assessment
Last update date is unknown; freshness unverified
Provenance
Source
North Western Inshore Fisheries and Conservation Authority (NWIFCA)
Collection Method
Field surveys conducted by authority officers, with samples taken for laboratory analysis.
Time Range
1998 - Ongoing
Freshness
Ongoing, but last update date is unknown
Geography
North Western Inshore Fisheries and Conservation Authority district (UK coastal waters)
License is unknown; terms of use must be verified before application.