Western Channel Sole and Plaice Survey with Age and Length Data, 2018-19

A Fisheries Science Partnership survey series for the Western Channel. The dataset likely contains station-level positional, depth, and time data, along with length distributions for all fish and shellfish species. Otoliths were collected from sole and plaice to provide individual age-at-length information.

Use Cases

• Modeling population trends for sole and plaice based on recorded abundance and distribution data.
• Analyzing age composition and growth rates based on otolith-derived age-at-length information.
• Studying bycatch species diversity and frequency mentioned in the survey's aims.
• Mapping species distribution and abundance relative to environmental variables like depth and location.

Strengths

• Data includes individual biological samples (otoliths) for age determination of target species.
• Survey design captures multiple data dimensions per station: positional, depth, time, and species length.

Limitations

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

Provenance

Source

Government Digital Service, via the Fisheries Science Partnership (FSP).

Collection Method

Scientific survey recording shot/haul information, positional data, and biological samples at sampled stations.

Time Range

2018/19

Freshness

Survey conducted in the 2018/19 period; subsequent updates are unknown.

Geography

Western Channel