Eastern Irish Sea Groundfish Survey Time Series, 1976-1991

From 1976 to 1991, a series of groundfish surveys were conducted in the eastern Irish Sea using a Boris Goshawk trawl towed for an hour. The data records numbers at length by centimetre for main commercial species like cod, plaice, sole, and whiting, along with station positions by area. A summary table for cruises from 1981-1991 includes catch data for all other species.

Use Cases

• Analyzing long-term population trends for commercial fish species based on the 15-year time series.
• Modeling species distribution and abundance based on recorded station positions by area.
• Studying fish population length structures based on the numbers at length by centimetre data.
• Investigating biodiversity changes based on the summary catch data for all other species from 1981-1991.

Strengths

• Provides a 15-year time series from 1976 to 1991, enabling longitudinal analysis.
• Focuses on key commercial species (cod, plaice, sole, whiting) with detailed length-frequency data.
• Includes geographic context with recorded station positions by area.

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

Government Digital Service

Collection Method

Surveys conducted using a Boris Goshawk trawl towed for an hour.

Time Range

1976-1991

Freshness

Historical data; last updated date is unknown.

Geography

Eastern Irish Sea