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Related information

Fisheries Information
Defra: UK Government Department for Environment, Fisheries and Rural Affairs. http://www.defra.gov.uk/
NFFO: The National Federation of Fishermen's Organisation. http://www.nffo.org.uk/
ICES: International Council for the Exploration of the Sea. http://www.ices.dk/

2006/2007 programme

This programme is the second in the medium-term three-year commitment of Defra to the initiative, and a further £1m has been allocated for the year. The established time-series surveys of Northeast cod, anglerfish, Irish Sea roundfish and Western Channel sole and plaice received priority, and again a survey of the plaice and lemon sole fishing grounds off the NE coast of England has been granted (the third survey of that series). Additionally, many ideas for new or update projects have been advanced by the fishing industry, and several have been granted pending successful planning of and tendering for the work. A more focused search for ghost-fishing gear west of Ireland has already taken place, and new projects have investigated (13) North Sea whiting abundance, (14) velvet crabs (and other crustaceans) off the Yorkshire coast, (15) Eastern English Channel cod by traditional tagging, and (16) and (17) squid distribution and the feasibility of jig-fishing for it off the Northeast coast and in the Western English Channel, respectively. A full list of the programmes and their objectives is given below. Full reports of the projects will be available on this website, listed by vessel name, as they are completed, or they can be accessed directly on the reports page.

Programme	Months	Areas	Vessels and gears
1: North East Cod	Oct 2006	NE coast of England	Emulator (PDF, 810 KB)
Purpose - To extend the time-series of surveys of NE coast cod carried out in 2003, 2004 and 2005 in order to provide year-on-year comparative information on distribution, relative abundance and size/age composition of cod, and to obtain additional information on distribution, relative abundance and size/age composition of whiting and haddock off the NE coast.
2: Western Anglerfish	September/November 2006	Western English Channel and Approaches	Billy Rowney and Twilight III (PDF, 512 KB)
Purpose - To extend the time-series of surveys to provide data on the distribution, catch rates and length distribution of anglerfish and other species caught using commercial gear off Southwest England.
3:Irish Sea Roundfish	March 2007	Western and Eastern Irish Sea	Isadale and Benaiah IV (PDF, 206 KB)
Purpose - To repeat the FSP surveys of cod, haddock and whiting in the western and eastern Irish Sea carried out since 2004, maintaining the time-series. The target species are cod, haddock and whiting.
6: Western Channel Sole and Plaice	Late Autumn 2006	Western english Channel	Lady T Emiel and Carhelmar (PDF, 919 KB)
Purpose - To extend the time-series of surveys in the Western English Channel in order to provide information on distribution patterns of sole, plaice and other commercial by-catch species, trends in abundance and age composition of sole and plaice, and additional information on the by-catch of species such as cod.
11: North Sea Lemon Sole and Plaice	June 2006	North Sea	Jubilee Quest (PDF, 1020 KB)
Purpose - To evaluate the composition of catches across the North Sea lemon sole and plaice fishing grounds in summer, and in particular to examine the linkage with cod in relation to the cod recovery plan and associated effort control.
12: Gillnet Retrieval Survey	Summer 2006	SW of Ireland	Regina Ponti (PDF, 704 KB)
Purpose - To determine the extent and impact of ghost nets at and arround the Porcupine Bank, SW of Ireland.
13: North Sea Whiting	Autumn 2006	North Sea	Nimrod (PDF, 556 KB)
Purpose - To investigate stomach contents of North Sea whiting to determine their diet, and any possible changes to that diet since the last large-scale stomach survey in 1991. The project will specifically address the potential problem of predation of whiting on cod, which, if frequent, may affect cod recovery.
14: Yorkshire Coast Crustacea	June 2006	NE coast	Holly J, Magdalene Ann (PDF, 958 KB)
Purpose - To investigate variations in the catch rates of velvet swimming crab Necora puber and other commercial crustacean species in the Bridlington Bay area using commercial traps.
15: Eastern Channel Cod	Winter 2006	Eastern English Channel	Halcyon (PDF, 446 KB) Recaptures up to March 2008 (PDF, 33 KB)
Purpose - To identify and map spawning aggregations of cod in the eastern English Channel and to tag the mature, spawning fish within these aggregations by conventional means. In addition, biological sampling will be undertaken to complement assessment of the aggregations.
16: NE Coast Squid Fishery	Late Autumn of 2006 and 2007	NE Coast	FV Nimrod (PDF, 296 KB)
Purpose - To study the distribution of squid caught by trawl, and the catches and by-catches taken during a night-time experimental jig fishery, over two seasons.
17: Western English Channel Squid Fishery	Late Autumn of 2006 and 2007	Western English Channel	FV Valhalla (PDF, 220 KB)
Purpose - To map the distribution of squid catches and to record catches and by-catches in the English Channel using lures, jigs, gurdies and dedicated lighting, over two seasons.