Porcupine Bank Nephrops Grounds (FU16) 2025 UWTV Survey Report and catch scenarios for 2026

This report provides the results of the fourteenth underwater television on the ‘Porcupine Bank Nephrops grounds’ ICES assessment area; Functional Unit 16. The survey was multidisciplinary in nature collecting UWTV and other ecosystem data. In total 69 UWTV stations were successfully completed (100% of the planned stations) in a randomised 6 nautical mile isometric grid covering the full spatial extent of the stock. The mean burrow density observed in 2025, adjusted for edge effect, was 0.17 burrows/m². The final kriged abundance estimate was 1220 million burrows with a CV of 3%. The 2025 abundance estimate was 27% lower than in 2024. Using the 2025 estimate of abundance and updated stock data imply that catches in 2026 should be between 1750 and 2169 tonnes, according to the EU MAP and ICES MSY approach (assuming that all catch is landed). Four species of sea-pen (Virgularia mirabilis, Funiculina quadrangularis, Pennatula phosphorea and the deepwater sea-pen Kophobelemnon stelliferum) were observed during the survey. Trawl marks were also observed on 65% of the stations surveyed.

URI

http://hdl.handle.net/10793/2065

Description

Marine Institute; Co-Funded by the European Union

Citation

Doyle, J., Rapp, T., Molloy, R., Opanowski, A., Coupeau, Y., Dower, C., Dowdall, D., and Joyce, H. (2025). Porcupine Bank Nephrops Grounds (FU16) 2025 UWTV Survey Report and catch scenarios for 2026. Marine Institute UWTV Survey report