CIRO 2/90: North Sea Groundfish Survey Catch and Environmental Data

A marine survey conducted by Cefas aboard the Cirolana from January 27 to February 19, 1990. The dataset includes station, catch, length, and biological data for 60 species across 171 sampling stations in the North Sea. It was undertaken as part of the International Bottom Trawl Survey to support EU data regulations, with additional aims to collect benthic, temperature, salinity, and litter data.

Use Cases

• Analyzing species distribution and abundance based on catch data from 171 stations.
• Studying fish population biology and demographics based on length and biological data for selected species.
• Investigating correlations between fish catches and environmental conditions based on collected water temperature and salinity data.
• Assessing benthic community composition and marine litter based on the survey's additional data collection aims.

Strengths

• Data collection followed standardized International Bottom Trawl Survey (IBTS) protocols using GOV trawls.
• Covers 171 sampling stations and records for 60 different species caught.
• Includes multiple data types: station operations, species catch, biological samples, and environmental measurements.

Limitations

• Column-level documentation is absent; field semantics must be inferred after download.
• Row count is unknown, which may limit suitability assessment for specific modeling tasks.
• Last update date is unknown; freshness unverified.

Provenance

Source

Cefas (Centre for Environment, Fisheries & Aquaculture Science), part of the International Bottom Trawl Survey.

Collection Method

Research vessel survey using standardized GOV trawls and other equipment (e.g., Nansen bottles, frame trawls).

Time Range

1990-01 27 to 1990-02-19

Freshness

Survey conducted in 1990; dataset is historical.

Geography

North Sea