Aran, Galway Bay and Slyne Head Nephrops Grounds 2006 UWTV Survey Report

Abstract

The Nephrops fishery “at the back of the Aran Islands” is the mainstay of the Ros a Mhíl fleet and sustaining this valuable fishery would be at the heart of any management plan for fisheries in the area. In 2006 the fifth in a series of annual UWTV survey was completed, and the results of that survey together with a synthesis and analysis of the results were published. The survey is multidisciplinary in nature collecting data on burrow abundances from UWTV, Nephrops biological data from beam trawls, oceanographic data from CTD, sediment data, multi-beam and other habitat data. A geostatistical analysis indicates that burrow densities and abundances have fluctuated considerably in space and time. Highest densities occurred in 2004 with the lowest densities in the 2006 survey. There may be a negative relationship between abundance in landings in the autumn and a positive relationship between observed densities and landings the following spring.