English Channel Gillnet Pollack Survey with Catch Composition Data, 2012

The English Channel was surveyed from late February to mid-March 2012 as part of a Fisheries Science Partnership program. Cefas scientists observed 100 hauls to assess the viability of wreck netting for pollack, recording catch composition by species and weight. The work was funded by Defra and conducted in collaboration with the UK fishing industry.

Use Cases

• Assessing the feasibility of targeted pollack fisheries based on the reported catch composition and success of the trial.
• Analyzing bycatch rates and species based on the detailed breakdown of landed weight for pollack, bib, ling, and cod.
• Evaluating the impact on sensitive species based on the reported minimal catch of marine mammals and sharks like tope and spurdog.
• Studying seasonal fishing patterns based on the described shift from western Channel to North Sea netting in early spring.

Strengths

• Contains specific catch composition percentages: pollack accounted for nearly 90% of total landed weight.
• Reports detailed bycatch figures: bib accounted for 0.7% of landed weight, cod just over 1% (20 individuals).
• Describes a clear temporal scope: 100 hauls observed from late February to mid-March 2012.

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

Cefas scientists, Defra-funded Fisheries Science Partnership.

Collection Method

Scientific observation of 100 hauls by fishermen during a targeted fishery trial.

Time Range

Late February to mid-March 2012.

Freshness

Survey conducted in 2012; dataset update frequency is unknown.

Geography

English Channel (wreck netting locations).