FU19 Nephrops Grounds 2017 UWTV Survey and catch options for 2018

This report provides the main results of the eighth underwater television survey of the various Nephrops patches in Functional Unit 19. The survey was multi-disciplinary in nature collecting UWTV, CTD, multi-beam and other ecosystem data. In 2017 a total 41 UWTV stations were successfully completed. The mean density estimates varied considerably across the different patches. The 2017 raised abundance estimate was a 25% increase from the 2016 estimate and at 499 million burrows is above the MSY Btrigger (430 million). Using the 2017 estimate of abundance and updated stock data implies catch of 1,192 tonnes and landings of 889 tonnes in 2018 when MSY approach is applied (assuming that discard rates and fishery selection patterns do not change from the average of 2014–2016). Two species of sea pen were observed; Virgularia mirabilis and Pennatula phosphorea which have been observed on previous surveys of FU19. Trawl marks were observed at 10% of the stations surveyed.

URI

http://hdl.handle.net/10793/1332

Citation

Doyle, J., Fitzgerald, R., O’Brien, S., Ryan, G., McGeady, R. and Lordan, C. 2017. FU19 Nephrops Grounds (FU19) 2017 UWTV Survey Report and catch options for 2018. Marine Institute UWTV Survey report.