CEND 10/04: North Sea Groundfish Survey with Benthic and Environmental Data, 2004

164 different species were caught during this 2004 survey. The Centre for Environment, Fisheries & Aquaculture Science (Cefas) collected station, catch, length, and biological data from 235 stations aboard the CEFAS Endeavour between August and September 2004. This survey supports EU data regulations and the International Bottom Trawl survey, with additional aims to collect water temperature, salinity, and litter data.

Use Cases

• Modeling fish stock composition estimates based on catch and length data for all species
• Analyzing species distribution patterns across 235 survey stations
• Studying benthic community composition based on recorded benthic catches
• Correlating fish abundance with environmental variables like water temperature and salinity mentioned in the description

Strengths

• Survey operations were undertaken on 235 stations, providing broad spatial coverage
• 164 different species were caught, indicating high taxonomic diversity in the records
• Data collection followed standardized protocols using specific trawl and grab equipment

Limitations

• Column-level documentation is absent; field semantics must be inferred after download
• Last update date is unknown; freshness unverified

Provenance

Source

Centre for Environment, Fisheries & Aquaculture Science (Cefas)

Collection Method

Data collected using research vessels and standardized trawl gear (e.g., GOV trawls, Van Veen Grab) at sea stations.

Time Range

04/08/2004 to 06/09/2004

Freshness

Data is from a single survey in 2004; it is a historical snapshot.

Geography

North Sea (as part of the North Sea Groundfish Survey)