Cornwall Inshore Fisheries and Conservation Authority (IFCA) conducted an annual dredge survey of 82 sites in the River Fal, Cornwall, in 2020. The survey recorded counts and distribution for native oysters, queen and variegated scallops, and slipper limpets, along with substrate types and bycatch species. The analysis was organized by three designated Management Areas (A, B, and C).
Use Cases
- Modeling population density for native oysters (Ostrea edulis) based on survey counts across 82 sites.
- Analyzing the co-distribution of scallops (Aequipecten opercularis, Mimachlamys varia) and the invasive slipper limpet (Crepidula fornicata).
- Assessing substrate type relationships with species abundance mentioned in the survey description.
- Monitoring changes in bycatch species composition within the Fal Oyster Fishery management area.
Strengths
- Includes specific total counts for three key species groups: 1265 oysters, 4977 scallops, and 8753 slipper limpets.
- Survey covers 82 distinct geographic sites within the fishery, providing spatial distribution data.
- Data is collected as part of a consistent annual monitoring program established in 2014.
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
- Cornwall Inshore Fisheries and Conservation Authority (IFCA), aggregated via Government Digital Service.
- Collection Method
- Annual dredge surveys conducted at predetermined sites within the Fal Oyster Fishery.
- Time Range
- 2020 (part of an annual series from 2014 onward).
- Freshness
- null
- Geography
- River Fal, Cornwall, United Kingdom.