Cefas Western English Channel Groundfish Survey 2008: 58 Trawl Stations

A 2008 fisheries survey conducted by the Centre for Environment, Fisheries & Aquaculture Science (Cefas) aboard the charter vessel Carhelmar. The survey targeted 58 trawl stations on sole grounds in the Western English Channel, recording 114 different species caught. This data was used to provide fisheries-independent abundance indices for sole and plaice stock assessments.

Use Cases

• Analyzing species composition and biodiversity based on the 114 species recorded.
• Modeling fish abundance and distribution patterns from the 58 sampled trawl stations.
• Tuning stock assessment models for sole and plaice based on the survey's stated purpose.
• Studying the effectiveness of specific beam trawl gear used during the operations.

Strengths

• Survey operations were undertaken on 58 specific stations, providing structured spatial sampling.
• Records 114 different species caught, indicating broad taxonomic coverage.
• Part of a long-term survey series running from 1984 to 2013, suggesting methodological consistency.

Limitations

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

Provenance

Source

Centre for Environment, Fisheries & Aquaculture Science (Cefas), aggregated via EU Open Data.

Collection Method

Annual groundfish survey using chartered commercial fishing vessels with Cefas staff, employing 4m beam trawls.

Time Range

Survey conducted from 10/10/2008 to 16/10/2008.

Freshness

Data is from a specific survey in October 2008; part of a series concluded in 2013.

Geography

English waters of the Western English Channel.