Cefas Western English Channel Groundfish Survey for Sole and Plaice, 2012

A 2012 survey conducted by the Centre for Environment, Fisheries & Aquaculture Science (Cefas) as part of an annual series running from 1984 to 2013. The survey aimed to provide fisheries-independent abundance indices for sole and plaice, used to tune ICES stock assessments and estimate recruitment. It sampled 58 trawl stations in English waters of the Western English Channel over one week in October 2012, catching 109 different species.

Use Cases

• Modeling fish population abundance based on the survey's catch data.
• Analyzing species diversity and composition based on the 109 species recorded.
• Tuning stock assessment models based on the fisheries-independent indices mentioned.
• Studying spatial distribution of sole and plaice based on the 58 sampled stations.

Strengths

• Survey operations were undertaken on 58 stations, providing a structured spatial sample.
• 109 different species were recorded, indicating broad taxonomic coverage.
• Part of a long-term series running from 1984 to 2013, enabling temporal analysis.

Limitations

• Column-level documentation is absent; field semantics must be inferred after download.
• Row count is unknown, which may limit suitability assessment.

Provenance

Source

Centre for Environment, Fisheries & Aquaculture Science (Cefas)

Collection Method

Survey undertaken on chartered commercial fishing vessels (Carhelmar) using 4m beam trawls, with Cefas staff on board.

Time Range

Survey took place between 10/10/2012 and 16/10/2012.

Freshness

Data is from a specific 2012 survey; last update date is unknown.

Geography

English waters of the Western English Channel.