Portland Mussel Survey for Fisheries Management, 2011-Present

Southern Inshore Fisheries and Conservation Authority conducted an annual survey from 2011 to present using drop-down camera footage to assess seed mussel beds at the Shambles in the Portland to Studland cSAC. Observations from film footage were mapped using MapInfo GIS software. This data, combined with DORIS and historical fishing effort data, was used to define fishery areas within the conservation site.

Use Cases

• Map the spatial distribution of mussel beds based on the GIS mapping mentioned in the description.
• Assess habitat availability for fisheries based on the defined fishery areas within the cSAC.
• Analyze long-term trends in mussel bed location and size based on the annual survey time frame.
• Integrate observational data with historical fishing effort for conservation planning.

Strengths

• Annual survey provides a time series from 2011 to present.
• Data integration combines camera observations, DORIS data, and historical fishing records.
• Geographic scope is clearly defined as the Shambles within the Portland to Studland cSAC.

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

Government Digital Service

Collection Method

Drop-down camera footage assessment and GIS mapping.

Time Range

2011-Present

Freshness

Annual survey from 2011 to present, but last specific update is unknown.

Geography

The Shambles in the Portland to Studland cSAC (UK).