DAERA Annual Estuarine Fish Survey 2009
The DAERA estuarine fish survey is an annual assessment of fish communities in seven river estuaries in Northern Ireland. Data is collected primarily for the purposes of reporting to Water Framework Directive (WFD), although a subset of the data is reported to the MERMAN database for inclusion in the Clean Seas Evidence Group (CSEG) work programme.
dataset
http://www.appsd.daera-ni.gov.uk/marinemapviewer/
name: Northern Ireland Marine Mapviewer
description: A link to the web service or dataset
name: DAERA website
description: A link to the general host site
DAERA-FSH2009
http://www.daera-ni.gov.uk
eng
urn:ogc:def:crs:EPSG::4326
biota
revision
2008-01-06
revision
2009-11-16
-7.3833
-5.2739
55.3492
53.9639
creation
2009-06-18
Irish Sea
creation
2009-06-18
Minches & Western Scotland
creation
2009-05-01
39E2
creation
2009-05-01
37E3
creation
2009-05-01
39E3
creation
2009-05-01
37E4
creation
2009-05-01
38E4
creation
2009-05-01
39E4
creation
1954-01-01
Inner Seas off the West Coast of Scotland
creation
1954-01-01
Irish Sea and St. George's Channel
creation
2014-05-16
VIIa
creation
2014-05-16
VIa
revision
2010-01-01
infralittoral
2009-05-06
2009-10-27
publication
2018-06-12
creation
2009-11-01
revision
2018-06-12
notPlanned
The ichthyofauna of each transitional water is sampled using a variety of methods. These include seine netting, fyke netting and beam trawling. This multimethod approach is adopted to ensure that all representative habitats and species are sampled within each estuary. All netting is conducted from a 3.4 m inflatable boat equipped with a 15 hp outboard engine. The seine net is 30 m long by 2 m deep with a 14 mm mesh body and a 5 m long x 3 m deep central panel of 6.5 mm mesh. Seine netting is limited to unobstructed areas with gently sloping banks and is typically deployed in waters less than 1.5 m. Where possible, seine netting is conducted during the two hour period either side of low tide. A fleet of double fyke nets are set in each system. Each trap is 0.5 m high, 2.5 m long with a 10 mm mesh cod end and is joined by a 6 m long x 15 mm mesh leader. The fyke nets are deployed in deeper waters by boat and are laid diagonally across the flow of the river. They are anchored out of the main channel to avoid passing boat traffic and are retrieved after 24 hours. A lightweight shoeless beam trawl is used to sample benthic and demersal fishes. The mouth of the net is 1.5 m wide with a height of 0.5 m, the body of the net is constructed of 14 mm mesh and is 3 m long, tapering to a width of 0.5 m. A 1.0 m long x 0.5 m wide cod end of 6.5 mm mesh is attached to the end of the net. The beam trawl is towed 20 m behind the boat and is deployed and retrieved by hand. Towing speed is between 1 and 2 knots with each tow lasting approximately 5 minutes and covering a distance of between 150 and 300 m. Where possible, all fishes are processed alive in the field and returned to the water. Specimens are identified, measured (mm Total Length (TL)), and weighed (g) before being released. Specimens that cannot be identified in the field are placed in labelled plastic bags and kept cool for transport to the laboratory where they are frozen. Fishes are identified in the laboratory at a later date by reference to published taxonomy texts such as Wheeler (1969), The Fishes of the British Isles and North Western Europe. Scientific and common names of fishes follow those provided in Maitland and Herdson (2009), A Key to the Marine and Freshwater Fishes of Britain and Ireland. All species are counted, and batch weighed to the nearest 0.1 g. Specimens are also measured (mm TL) and grouped into 10 mm size classes. Where large numbers of a particular species are captured, a sub-sample of at least 50 specimens are measured and weighed, the remaining sample is then batch weighed and the total number of individuals estimated using an average specimen weight. The total number of species and their numerical contribution to the total catch is determined for each transitional water. Competency of taxonomic identification is assessed twice yearly by completing the NMBAQC fish component of the ring test programme.
publication
2011-02-02
true
Dataset contains all mandatory metadata and data fields to comply with this guideline
publication
2011-02-02
true
Dataset contains all mandatory metadata and data fields to comply with this guideline
Data is freely available for research or commercial use providing that the originators are acknowledged in any publications produced.
No restrictions to public access
Data contact
Department of Agriculture, Environment and Rural Affairs
Marine.InfoRequests@daera-ni.gov.uk
originator
Data contact
Department of Agriculture, Environment and Rural Affairs
Marine.InfoRequests@daera-ni.gov.uk
custodian
Data contact
Department of Agriculture, Environment and Rural Affairs
Marine.InfoRequests@daera-ni.gov.uk
pointOfContact
2018-06-14