Identification

Title

Fishing Activity for UK vessels 15m and over 2012

Abstract

This data set provides summaries of fishing activity for UK commercial fishing vessels of 15m and over in length that are deemed to have been fishing within a specified calendar year. These summaries have been categorised into aggregated gear groups that have relevance to their potential impact on the seabed, environment, or biota. Positional data have been extracted from GPS-derived Vessel Monitoring Data. At the highest resolution, 0.05 degree sub-rectangle, the following data items are provided aggregated between vessels using each of these gear types separately: Boat dredges, traps (not specified), pots, gillnets and entangling nets (not specified), gillnets (not specified), driftnets, set gillnets (anchored), trammel nets, hand fishing, mechanized dredges, hand lines and pole-lines (hand-operated), long lines (not specified), set long lines, hooks and lines (not specified), otter trawls (not specified), otter trawls bottom, otter trawls midwater, otter twin trawls, with purse lines (purse seines), pair trawls bottom, pair trawls midwater, Danish seines, pair seines, Scottish seines, seine nets not elsewhere specified, beam trawls, nephrops trawls, midwater trawls not elsewhere specified, shrimp trawls midwater, other trawls not specified): 1. For internal requests for information only, the number of 15m vessels involved using each gear type, 2. Time fishing (minutes), 3. From 2011 data onwards, effort in KW Hours (calculated by multiplying the time associated with each VMS report in hours by the engine power of the vessel concerned at the time of the activity) 4. Quantity (tonnes) of live weight fish landed with gear type, 5. Value (sterling) of live weight fish landed with gear type.

Resource type

dataset

Resource locator

http://environment.data.gov.uk/ds/catalogue/#/e7d5abead7ff5405c8be9f44f50f506c

description: A link to the web service or dataset

http://environment.data.gov.uk/ds/catalogue/index.jsp#/catalogue

description: A link to the general host site

Unique resource identifier

code

MMO1600105

codeSpace

Dataset language

eng

Spatial reference system

code identifying the spatial reference system

urn:ogc:def:crs:EPSG::4258

Classification of spatial data and services

Topic category

biota

Keywords

Keyword set

keyword value

Keyword set

keyword value

originating controlled vocabulary

title

GEMET - INSPIRE themes, version 1.0

reference date

date type

revision

effective date

2008-01-06

Keyword set

keyword value

originating controlled vocabulary

title

SeaDataNet P021 parameter discovery vocabulary

reference date

date type

revision

effective date

2009-11-16

Keyword set

keyword value

originating controlled vocabulary

title

CHARM III

reference date

date type

creation

effective date

2012-04-02

Geographic location

West bounding longitude

-15.4500

East bounding longitude

30.0000

North bounding latitude

77.3500

South bounding latitude

43.8500

Extent

Extent group

authority code

title

International Hydrographic Bureau, Limits of Oceans and Seas

reference date

date type

creation

effective date

1954-01-01

code identifying the extent

Adriatic Sea (Mediterranean Sea)

Extent group

authority code

title

International Hydrographic Bureau, Limits of Oceans and Seas

reference date

date type

creation

effective date

1954-01-01

code identifying the extent

Baltic Sea

Extent group

authority code

title

International Hydrographic Bureau, Limits of Oceans and Seas

reference date

date type

creation

effective date

1954-01-01

code identifying the extent

Bay of Biscay

Extent group

authority code

title

International Hydrographic Bureau, Limits of Oceans and Seas

reference date

date type

creation

effective date

1954-01-01

code identifying the extent

Black Sea

Extent group

authority code

title

International Hydrographic Bureau, Limits of Oceans and Seas

reference date

date type

creation

effective date

1954-01-01

code identifying the extent

Bristol Channel

Extent group

authority code

title

International Hydrographic Bureau, Limits of Oceans and Seas

reference date

date type

creation

effective date

1954-01-01

code identifying the extent

English Channel

Extent group

authority code

title

International Hydrographic Bureau, Limits of Oceans and Seas

reference date

date type

creation

effective date

1954-01-01

code identifying the extent

Greenland Sea

Extent group

authority code

title

International Hydrographic Bureau, Limits of Oceans and Seas

reference date

date type

creation

effective date

1954-01-01

code identifying the extent

Gulf of Bothnia (Baltic Sea)

Extent group

authority code

title

International Hydrographic Bureau, Limits of Oceans and Seas

reference date

date type

creation

effective date

1954-01-01

code identifying the extent

Gulf of Finland (Baltic Sea)

Extent group

authority code

title

International Hydrographic Bureau, Limits of Oceans and Seas

reference date

date type

creation

effective date

1954-01-01

code identifying the extent

Gulf of Riga (Baltic Sea)

Extent group

authority code

title

International Hydrographic Bureau, Limits of Oceans and Seas

reference date

date type

creation

effective date

1954-01-01

code identifying the extent

Inner Seas off the West Coast of Scotland

Extent group

authority code

title

International Hydrographic Bureau, Limits of Oceans and Seas

reference date

date type

creation

effective date

1954-01-01

code identifying the extent

Irish Sea and St. George's Channel

Extent group

authority code

title

International Hydrographic Bureau, Limits of Oceans and Seas

reference date

date type

creation

effective date

1954-01-01

code identifying the extent

Ligurian Sea (Mediterranean Sea)

Extent group

authority code

title

International Hydrographic Bureau, Limits of Oceans and Seas

reference date

date type

creation

effective date

1954-01-01

code identifying the extent

North Atlantic Ocean

Extent group

authority code

title

International Hydrographic Bureau, Limits of Oceans and Seas

reference date

date type

creation

effective date

1954-01-01

code identifying the extent

North Sea

Extent group

authority code

title

International Hydrographic Bureau, Limits of Oceans and Seas

reference date

date type

creation

effective date

1954-01-01

code identifying the extent

Norwegian Sea

Extent group

authority code

title

International Hydrographic Bureau, Limits of Oceans and Seas

reference date

date type

creation

effective date

1954-01-01

code identifying the extent

Tyrrhenian Sea (Mediterranean Sea)

Extent group

authority code

title

International Hydrographic Bureau, Limits of Oceans and Seas

reference date

date type

creation

effective date

1954-01-01

code identifying the extent

Celtic Sea

Extent group

authority code

title

ICES Statistical Areas

reference date

date type

creation

effective date

2014-05-16

code identifying the extent

VIIIc

Extent group

authority code

title

ICES Statistical Areas

reference date

date type

creation

effective date

2014-05-16

code identifying the extent

VIIIb

Extent group

authority code

title

ICES Statistical Areas

reference date

date type

creation

effective date

2014-05-16

code identifying the extent

VIIIe1

Extent group

authority code

title

ICES Statistical Areas

reference date

date type

creation

effective date

2014-05-16

code identifying the extent

VIIId1

Extent group

authority code

title

ICES Statistical Areas

reference date

date type

creation

effective date

2014-05-16

code identifying the extent

VIIId2

Extent group

authority code

title

ICES Statistical Areas

reference date

date type

creation

effective date

2014-05-16

code identifying the extent

VIIIa

Extent group

authority code

title

ICES Statistical Areas

reference date

date type

creation

effective date

2014-05-16

code identifying the extent

VIIj1

Extent group

authority code

title

ICES Statistical Areas

reference date

date type

creation

effective date

2014-05-16

code identifying the extent

VIIh

Extent group

authority code

title

ICES Statistical Areas

reference date

date type

creation

effective date

2014-05-16

code identifying the extent

VIIf

Extent group

authority code

title

ICES Statistical Areas

reference date

date type

creation

effective date

2014-05-16

code identifying the extent

VIIg

Extent group

authority code

title

ICES Statistical Areas

reference date

date type

creation

effective date

2014-05-16

code identifying the extent

VIIk1

Extent group

authority code

title

ICES Statistical Areas

reference date

date type

creation

effective date

2014-05-16

code identifying the extent

VIIk2

Extent group

authority code

title

ICES Statistical Areas

reference date

date type

creation

effective date

2014-05-16

code identifying the extent

VIIj2

Extent group

authority code

title

ICES Statistical Areas

reference date

date type

creation

effective date

2014-05-16

code identifying the extent

IVc

Extent group

authority code

title

ICES Statistical Areas

reference date

date type

creation

effective date

2014-05-16

code identifying the extent

VIIc2

Extent group

authority code

title

ICES Statistical Areas

reference date

date type

creation

effective date

2014-05-16

code identifying the extent

VIIb

Extent group

authority code

title

ICES Statistical Areas

reference date

date type

creation

effective date

2014-05-16

code identifying the extent

VIIa

Extent group

authority code

title

ICES Statistical Areas

reference date

date type

creation

effective date

2014-05-16

code identifying the extent

24

Extent group

authority code

title

ICES Statistical Areas

reference date

date type

creation

effective date

2014-05-16

code identifying the extent

22

Extent group

authority code

title

ICES Statistical Areas

reference date

date type

creation

effective date

2014-05-16

code identifying the extent

23

Extent group

authority code

title

ICES Statistical Areas

reference date

date type

creation

effective date

2014-05-16

code identifying the extent

25

Extent group

authority code

title

ICES Statistical Areas

reference date

date type

creation

effective date

2014-05-16

code identifying the extent

26

Extent group

authority code

title

ICES Statistical Areas

reference date

date type

creation

effective date

2014-05-16

code identifying the extent

IVb

Extent group

authority code

title

ICES Statistical Areas

reference date

date type

creation

effective date

2014-05-16

code identifying the extent

28-2

Extent group

authority code

title

ICES Statistical Areas

reference date

date type

creation

effective date

2014-05-16

code identifying the extent

28-1

Extent group

authority code

title

ICES Statistical Areas

reference date

date type

creation

effective date

2014-05-16

code identifying the extent

27

Extent group

authority code

title

ICES Statistical Areas

reference date

date type

creation

effective date

2014-05-16

code identifying the extent

IIIa

Extent group

authority code

title

ICES Statistical Areas

reference date

date type

creation

effective date

2014-05-16

code identifying the extent

VIb1

Extent group

authority code

title

ICES Statistical Areas

reference date

date type

creation

effective date

2014-05-16

code identifying the extent

VIb2

Extent group

authority code

title

ICES Statistical Areas

reference date

date type

creation

effective date

2014-05-16

code identifying the extent

VIa

Extent group

authority code

title

ICES Statistical Areas

reference date

date type

creation

effective date

2014-05-16

code identifying the extent

29

Extent group

authority code

title

ICES Statistical Areas

reference date

date type

creation

effective date

2014-05-16

code identifying the extent

Vb1a

Extent group

authority code

title

ICES Statistical Areas

reference date

date type

creation

effective date

2014-05-16

code identifying the extent

32

Extent group

authority code

title

ICES Statistical Areas

reference date

date type

creation

effective date

2014-05-16

code identifying the extent

XIIa4

Extent group

authority code

title

ICES Statistical Areas

reference date

date type

creation

effective date

2014-05-16

code identifying the extent

IVa

Extent group

authority code

title

ICES Statistical Areas

reference date

date type

creation

effective date

2014-05-16

code identifying the extent

Vb1b

Extent group

authority code

title

ICES Statistical Areas

reference date

date type

creation

effective date

2014-05-16

code identifying the extent

30

Extent group

authority code

title

ICES Statistical Areas

reference date

date type

creation

effective date

2014-05-16

code identifying the extent

31

Extent group

authority code

title

ICES Statistical Areas

reference date

date type

creation

effective date

2014-05-16

code identifying the extent

Va2

Extent group

authority code

title

ICES Statistical Areas

reference date

date type

creation

effective date

2014-05-16

code identifying the extent

IIa1

Extent group

authority code

title

ICES Statistical Areas

reference date

date type

creation

effective date

2014-05-16

code identifying the extent

IIa2

Extent group

authority code

title

ICES Statistical Areas

reference date

date type

creation

effective date

2014-05-16

code identifying the extent

IIb1

Extent group

authority code

title

ICES Statistical Areas

reference date

date type

creation

effective date

2014-05-16

code identifying the extent

XIVa

Extent group

authority code

title

ICES Statistical Areas

reference date

date type

creation

effective date

2014-05-16

code identifying the extent

IIb2

Extent group

authority code

title

ICES Statistical Areas

reference date

date type

creation

effective date

2014-05-16

code identifying the extent

Ib

Extent group

authority code

title

ICES Statistical Areas

reference date

date type

creation

effective date

2014-05-16

code identifying the extent

VIIIe2

Extent group

authority code

title

ICES Statistical Areas

reference date

date type

creation

effective date

2014-05-16

code identifying the extent

Vb2

Extent group

authority code

title

ICES Statistical Areas

reference date

date type

creation

effective date

2014-05-16

code identifying the extent

XIIa2

Extent group

authority code

title

ICES Statistical Areas

reference date

date type

creation

effective date

2014-05-16

code identifying the extent

VIIe

Extent group

authority code

title

ICES Statistical Areas

reference date

date type

creation

effective date

2014-05-16

code identifying the extent

VIId

Temporal reference

Temporal extent

Begin position

2012-01-01

End position

2012-12-31

Dataset reference date

date type

publication

effective date

2015-03-31

date type

creation

effective date

2013-10-31

date type

revision

effective date

2013-10-31

Frequency of update

annually

Quality and validity

Lineage

Data on fishing activity is taken from the IFISH data system. This is a UK repository of key elements of the administrative data commercial fishermen are required to report under EU legislation to enable competent authorities to monitor and manage their activity. There are three key sources of data – the logbook of activity while at sea, the landing declaration recording the accurate weight of fish when landed, and sales notes created when the fish are first sold after landing. The first two of these are required from all fishermen operating vessels over 10 metres overall length, the sales notes information is required for sales by all licensed vessels irrespective of length. The data includes the species, weight and value of fish landed along with details of the vessel involved, where the fish was caught, and with what gear. These data are collected by the four fisheries administrations within the UK, checked and validated processes and collated into the IFISH repository holding full UK data on licensed commercial fishing activity. The finest available level of spatial resolution for activity data within IFISH is an ICES rectangle. Each rectangle represents an area of the sea that measures 0.5 degrees of latitude by 1 degree of longitude. For this purposes of this data set, this overall information has been attributed to a finer level of spatial resolution by combining it with vessel position reports that commercial fishing vessels over 15m registered length are required to submit. Each fishing vessel over 15 metres overall length is required by EU legislation to have tamper-proof vessel monitoring systems in place and operational during all their activities at sea. [Note – this requirement is currently (2013) being extended down to all vessels 12 to 15 metres in length]. These Vessel Monitoring Systems (VMS) reports are automatically transmitted at least every 2 hours while a vessel is at sea. Each VMS report contains: 1. The unique vessel identifier number allocated by the Register of Shipping and Seamen (RSS - maintained by the UK Maritime and Coastguard Agency) 2. Latitude and longitude of the most recent geographic position determined by GPS, with error less than 500m at 99 percent confidence, 3. Date and time (UTC) corresponding to that position, 4. Vessel speed and course (tenths of knot and degrees). The position report is used to determine ICES rectangle where the vessel is at that time. These VMS reports are also processed to identify, for each vessel for each day at sea, each VMS report that can be categorised as fishing activity. A VMS report is taken to be indicative of fishing activity when the speed of the vessel is greater than zero but less than or equal to 6 knots. This set of data points is then linked to the activity data for that vessel, day and ICES rectangle combination selected from the IFISH data repository. The IFISH activity at the vessel/day/ICES rectangle level is then allocated pro-rata to each VMS fishing report for that same vessel/day/ICES rectangle combination. For example, if a vessel reports 10 tonnes of cod landed from activity on a specific day in a specific ICES rectangle, and there are 5 associated VMS reports classified as fishing reports, then each VMS report is allocated 2 tonnes of cod, along with the corresponding details of fishing gear used, monetary values, etc. The result of this process is a set of data whereby, where linkages can been made between the two sets of data, each VMS report has associated details of fishing activity: gears used, quantity and monetary value of species of fish landed, etc. In addition, each report also has associated estimates of time spent fishing derived from the data and time information from the VMS reports immediately before and immediately after it. All intervals are divided in two at their midpoint and each resulting sub-period is aggregated to the nearest report time to estimate duration of fishing activity for that report. For example, for a VMS report timed at 10:00hrs, with a previous report having been sent at 08:00hrs and the next report sent at 11:00hrs, the VMS report for 10:00 hrs is allocated a total of 90 minutes (60 minutes plus 30 minutes). This data set of VMS-linked data has then been processed to aggregate the activity data into summaries based on each 0.05 degree square sub-rectangle within each ICES rectangle. Within this summarised data, only (aggregated) totals are presented – e.g. totals for gear and species groupings. This aggregation has preserved the required confidentiality of data at the vessel level, while simultaneously providing a level of detail that is useful. The following points, which limit the use of this data set, should be noted: Only vessels equal to 15m are required to submit position and speed information via the VMS that enables fine-scale linkage with fishing activity records - this can mean (particularly for ICES rectangles nearer the UK coast) that there are significant elements of fishing activity by UK vessels less than15m that are not included. Furthermore, the match between satellite position reports and logbook reported activity is not exact. For example, only approximately 50 percent of those VMS position reports that are estimated as representing fishing time can be matched to instances where vessels have reported fishing activity via their EU logbook submissions on the same day and in the same ICES rectangle as the VMS report. This means that when the overall level of activity reported by the vessels that send in position reports is compared with the sub-set of this activity that can be linked to VMS reports estimated as fishing reports, it is usually less. Two indicators have been produced. The first is the percentage of total activity by the UK fishing fleet of all lengths that is reported by vessels over 15 metres in length – this represents the potential best coverage of total UK vessel activity using data for over 15 metre vessels. The second is a measure of the level of fishing activity that can be linked to corresponding VMS reports (as described above) – this represents the estimated coverage of total UK fishing activity by the linked VMS-activity data for vessels over 15 metres in this data set. These two indicators have been produced for activity measured both in terms of the quantity of fish landed and the value of fish landed. In terms of quantity of fish: Year 2007 - 84 percent potential coverage, 61 percent actual coverage. Year 2008 - 84 percent potential coverage, 58 percent actual coverage. Year 2009 - 86 percent potential coverage, 65 percent actual coverage. Year 2010 - 86 percent potential coverage, 65 percent actual coverage. Year 2011 - 85 percent potential coverage, 66 percent actual coverage. Year 2007-11- 85 percent potential coverage, 63 percent actual coverage. In terms of monetary value: Year 2007 - 74 percent potential coverage, 56 percent actual coverage. Year 2008 - 74 percent potential coverage, 57 percent actual coverage. Year 2009 - 77 percent potential coverage, 60 percent actual coverage. Year 2010 - 78 percent potential coverage, 61 percent actual coverage. Year 2011 - 79 percent potential coverage, 63 percent actual coverage. Year 2007-11- 77 percent potential coverage, 60 percent actual coverage. Coverage varies systematically between rectangles - e.g. those more distant from shore show increased potential and actual coverage; those nearer the shore are generally lower given that a higher proportion of activity will be by smaller inshore vessels because this is their natural sphere of operations, and also the impact of local limits on activity that prevent some larger vessels from fishing closer to shore. Coverage estimated in terms of percent by value is less than the corresponding value derived from percent by quantity due to the fact that small-scale inshore vessels, which do not carry VMS systems and are thus excluded from the analysis, tend to focus on lower volume but higher value fisheries. This can be either higher value species such as shellfish, or characteristic types of activity such as line or static net fishing that result in less damage to the fish and generate higher values when sold. The differences between the two coverage indicators reveal the impact of problems in matching activity and VMS data – these arise for a variety of reasons: There can be errors in the reporting of activity data. Historically, this information has been reported in paper logbooks, providing scope for error in the recording of details such as the reported ICES rectangle for landings. With regards to the satellite data, the speed limits used to determine whether a position report relates to fishing activity or not are generic and applied across all vessels and for all fishing gears in all areas, where, in fact, differences may occur. The VMS data were processed to extract 'fishing' activity by selecting the data for vessels travelling at speeds greater than zero but less than or equal to 6 knots. This will produce a fairly valid picture of fishing effort for mobile gears. However, the deployment of static gears such as pots and nets may not be well represented because this type of gear means that vessel speed is not as accurate an indicator of whether the vessel is fishing or not. Other key caveats: The representation of fishing effort as number of vessels per sub-rectangle per time period will not reveal the length of time that individual vessels have spent in each sub-rectangle over the period. Vessels that repeatedly visit the same areas will therefore be under-represented compared with vessels that frequently move between areas. Vessel Monitoring Data are currently only available for equal to15m. These vessels are predominately fishing offshore and consequently this data set under-represents inshore fishing activity. Vessels may be at sea for reasons other than fishing – for example, carrying out guard duty on the surface during undersea work such as that carried out on cables and pipelines. VMS reports by such vessels are included in the initial data extractions, but as these vessels will not have any fishing activity reported against them, they do not contribute to the final data set of linked data Similarly activity by other vessels that provide position reports, such as research trips and fisheries enforcement vessels are not included in the final data set. This data set shows only UK vessels. Foreign fleet activity may represent a significant percentage of offshore fishing effort but this is not represented in this data set. Data on the activity of these vessels would only be available if the vessel made a landing into the UK – as such it is not possible to produce an analysis for non-UK vessel activity that is comparable to that for UK vessels.

Conformity

Data format

name of format

version of format

Constraints related to access and use

Constraint set

Use constraints

Open Government Licence. Acknowledgement of Marine Management Organisation as source required.

Constraint set

Limitations on public access

No limitations on access, however copyright should be used at all times.

Responsible organisations

Responsible party

contact position

Data/GIS Officer

organisation name

Marine Management Organisation

email address

dkm@marinemanagement.org.uk

responsible party role

originator

Responsible party

contact position

Data/GIS Officer

organisation name

Marine Management Organisation

email address

dkm@marinemanagement.org.uk

responsible party role

custodian

Metadata on metadata

Metadata point of contact

contact position

Data/GIS Officer

organisation name

Marine Management Organisation

email address

dkm@marinemanagement.org.uk

responsible party role

pointOfContact

Metadata date

2016-04-14

Metadata language

eng