Multibeam Sonar Seabed Habitat Survey Trial Off Northeast England, 2011-12

A Fisheries Science Partnership project trialling the deployment of a multibeam echosounder from the commercial potting vessel *Providence* off Northeast England. The novel programme aimed to assess whether the fishing industry could help collect seabed habitat data to address a UK data need. The trial was conducted during the 2011/12 period.

Use Cases

• Classifying seabed habitat types based on acoustic backscatter data.
• Assessing the feasibility of using commercial fishing vessels for scientific data collection.
• Mapping marine benthic environments for conservation or management planning.

Strengths

• Project involved a novel deployment of state-of-the-art scientific equipment from a commercial vessel.
• Data collection was designed to address a stated national need for seabed habitat data.

Limitations

• Row count, column definitions, and file formats are unknown, limiting suitability assessment.
• Description metadata is limited; actual data quality requires manual inspection after download.

Provenance

Source

Government Digital Service

Collection Method

Acoustic seabed survey using a multibeam echosounder deployed from a chartered fishing vessel.

Time Range

2011/12

Freshness

Last update date is unknown; freshness unverified.

Geography

Northeast England coastal waters