Aran, Galway Bay and Slyne Head Nephrops Grounds (FU17) 2019 UWTV Survey Report and catch scenarios for 2020.

Abstract

This report provides the main results and findings of the seventeenth annual underwater television on the Aran, Galway Bay and Slyne head Nephrops grounds, ICES assessment area; Functional Unit 17. The survey was multi-disciplinary in nature collecting UWTV, CTD and other ecosystem data. In 2019 a total of 41 UWTV stations were successfully completed, 31 on the Aran Grounds, 5 on Galway Bay and 5 on Slyne Head patches. The mean burrow density observed in 2019, adjusted for edge effect, was medium at 0.38 burrows/m². The final krigged burrow abundance estimate for the Aran Grounds was 458 million burrows with a CV (relative standard error) of 4%. The final abundance estimate for Galway Bay was 23 million and for Slyne Head was 12 million, with CVs of 11% and 8% respectively. The total abundance estimates have fluctuated considerably over the time series. The 2019 combined abundance estimate (493 million burrows) is 11% lower than in 2018, and it is below the MSY Btrigger reference point (540 million burrows). Using the 2019 estimate of abundance and updated stock data implies catches between 696 and 800 tonnes in 2020 that correspond to the F ranges in the EU multi annual plan for Western Waters, assuming that discard rates and fishery selection patterns do not change from the average of 2016–2018. Virgularia mirabilis was the only sea-pen species observed on the UWTV footage. Trawl marks were present at 7% of the Aran stations surveyed.