This survey series ran from 1984 to 2013. The aim was to provide fisheries
independent abundance indices of all age groups of sole and plaice which are
used in assessment working groups to tune the ICES stock assessment and to
estimate recruitment. The survey was undertaken annually. Fifty eight trawl
stations on the main sole grounds in the English waters of the Western English
Channel were fished and sampled. Surveys were carried out on chartered
commercial fishing vessels with Cefas staff on board.
Catches were sorted by starboard and port trawl. All commercial fish and
shellfish species were identified either to species level or if not the
highest taxa and measured. Non-commercial species were predominately observed,
although for a period of the survey-series length distributions were collected
for part of each survey. The epi-benthos was observed for the later part of
the survey-series. Sole and plaice were biological sampled for age
determination purposes, and the collection of individual weights and
maturities.
