Western Channel Sole and Plaice Survey 2011/12: Distribution and Age Data

One Fisheries Science Partnership survey series aims to show trends in the distribution, abundance, and age composition of sole and plaice in the Western Channel. The dataset likely contains positional, depth, time, and length distribution data for all fish and shellfish species sampled, with otoliths collected for sole and plaice aging. It was published by the Government Digital Service under the OGL-UK-3.0 license.

Use Cases

• Modeling population trends for sole and plaice based on recorded abundance and distribution data.
• Analyzing age-length relationships for flatfish based on collected otolith samples.
• Studying bycatch species composition and diversity based on recorded catch information.
• Investigating spatial and bathymetric habitat preferences based on station positional and depth data.

Strengths

• Survey design focused on key commercial flatfish species, sole and plaice.
• Includes multiple data types: catch, positional, depth, time, length, and biological samples (otoliths).
• Explicitly aims to track trends in distribution, abundance, and age composition.

Limitations

• Row count and file format are unknown, which may limit suitability assessment.
• 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) via the Fisheries Science Partnership.

Collection Method

Scientific survey recording shot/haul, positional, depth, time, length data, and otolith collection at sampling stations.

Time Range

2011/12

Freshness

Survey conducted in the 2011/12 period; dataset freshness is unverified.

Geography

Western Channel