The maps provide information on the location of spawning and nursery areas of
several forage fish species in Welsh and surrounding waters, including the
Irish and Celtic Seas and the western English Channel. The forage fish
populations inhabiting these waters provide a key source of prey for many
predators, such as marine mammal and seabird species, including several of
conservation concern, that either breed or overwinter in the study area. Given
that several forage fish species in the northeast Atlantic have shown major
changes in distribution and abundance, up-to-date information on their recent
distribution patterns is important, including on where the main nursery and
spawning grounds are presently located. The maps are provided for eleven fish
species that are prey to marine mammals and seabirds: herring, sprat, sardine,
anchovy, sandeel, horse mackerel, mackerel and garfish as well as the gadoid
species poor cod, whiting and cod. Using survey data from 2008 to 2020,
hotspot maps were created for adults and juveniles of each of the species.
Data on most of the species was sparse and some of the gears used in fisheries
surveys were not designed to catch the target species. However, a hotspot
methodology allowed data from different gears to be standardised and combined
into a composite map which covered most of the study area during two periods
of the year (Quarter 1 and Quarter 4). Maps largely corresponded to those
previously reported although several new species were included for which no or
limited historic maps were available, specifically sprat, poor cod and
garfish.
