2023 Cornwall IFCA Fal Oyster, Scallop, and Limpet Survey

2023 data from an annual dredge survey conducted by the Cornwall Inshore Fisheries and Conservation Authority (IFCA) in the River Fal. The survey recorded counts of native oysters, queen and variegated scallops, and slipper limpets across 81 sites, totaling 2,007 oysters, 3,165 scallops, and 3,410 limpets. Analysis was segmented by three management areas (A, B, C), with substrate types and bycatch species also noted.

Use Cases

• Modeling native oyster population distribution based on site-specific counts.
• Assessing scallop (queen and variegated) abundance relative to substrate types recorded at each site.
• Monitoring invasive slipper limpet (Crepidula fornicata) spread based on recorded individual counts.
• Comparing species abundance and bycatch composition across the three designated management areas.

Strengths

• Provides specific 2023 counts for three key species groups: 2,007 oysters, 3,165 scallops, and 3,410 slipper limpets.
• Survey covers 81 distinct geographic sites within the Fal Fishery management area.
• Includes multi-species focus developed since 2016, adding scallops and later slipper limpets to the original oyster survey.

Limitations

• Column-level documentation is absent; field semantics must be inferred after download.
• Row count is unknown, which may limit suitability assessment for certain analyses.
• Last update date is unknown; freshness unverified beyond the 2023 survey year.

Provenance

Source

Cornwall Inshore Fisheries and Conservation Authority (IFCA), aggregated via Government Digital Service on eu_open_data.

Collection Method

Annual dredge surveys at predetermined sites within the Fal Oyster Fishery.

Time Range

2023 (part of an annual series since 2014).

Freshness

Data is from a 2023 survey; update frequency is annual.

Geography

River Fal, Cornwall, United Kingdom.