Small Pelagic Fish Sampling Data from Southwest England, 2020-21

A Fisheries Science Partnership programme collected data on sprat and sardine stocks in the South west of England through an industry-led self-sampling initiative. The 2020-21 season introduced a phone app for data collection and onboard temperature/pressure sensors to study environmental conditions. This work contributes a multi-year time series of length data used in ICES stock assessments for divisions 7de and 7.

Use Cases

• Modeling sprat and sardine population dynamics based on the multi-year length data time series.
• Analyzing the relationship between fish behavior and environmental conditions using the temperature and pressure sensor data.
• Evaluating the effectiveness of industry-led self-sampling programmes for fisheries-dependent data collection.
• Supporting ICES benchmark stock assessments for sardine in division 7 and sprat in division 7de.

Strengths

• Data collection involves direct collaboration between industry fishers and scientists (Cefas), potentially improving data relevance.
• The programme spans multiple years, with a sardine series starting in 2017-18 and a sprat series from 2018-19.
• Incorporates technological innovations like a dedicated phone app and environmental sensors for the 2020-21 season.

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

Fisheries Science Partnership (FSP) programme, a collaboration between the fishing industry (Cornish Sardine Management Association, processors, fishers) and Cefas.

Collection Method

Industry-led self-sampling programme aboard participating fishing vessels, supplemented by an acoustic mini survey for sprat.

Time Range

Primary data described is from the 2020-21 season, with time series starting for sardine in 2017-18 and for sprat in 2018-19.

Freshness

Data is from the 2020-21 sampling season. The last update date is unknown.

Geography

South west of England, with a focus on the Eastern Celtic Sea and coastal waters like Lyme Bay (ICES divisions 7de and 7).