Fish Surveys
Biannual fish surveys are conducted to understand the fish communities of the Aln Estuary. This estuary provides important spawning and nursing grounds for many fish. Using seine and fyke nets all fish caught are identified and measured to better understand the importance of this estuary for juvenile fish.
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During sea patrols with the NIFCA patrol vessel St Aidan, multibeam data is collected which provides information on the depth and hardness of the seabed. This data is displayed through OLEX software to build a picture of seabed substrate type from which you can estimate habitat and topography. While this information gives a good indication of habitat type, groundtruthing surveys are required to confirm the habitats present.
Habitat maps can be useful for fisheries management, particularly marine protected areas where we are required to assess how fishing activity may impact protected features. Fishing vessel activity can be combined with environmental data to assess if an area might need prioritising for management of marine protected areas.