This work is a collaboration between industry and scientists carried out as
part of the Fisheries Science Partnership (FSP) programme. The primary
objective of the programme is to improve the data collection on sprat and
sardine in the South west of England in support of the stock assessment, by
means of the continuation of a self-sampling programme which was first
initiated through collaboration between the fishing industry (the Cornish
Sardine Management Association (CSMA), fish processors and fishers) and Cefas
focusing on the sardine resource in 2017-2018.
After the success of the first year, the sardine self-sampling programme was
continued in 2018-2019 and expanded to the sprat fishery. An industry-led
acoustic mini survey for sprat (focused in Lyme Bay area) was carried out to
determine if the Cefas Pelagic fish and Ecosystem survey in the Eastern Celtic
Sea (Peltic) was underestimating biomass for small pelagics in the shallow
coastal waters.
In 2019-20, although the focus of the FSP project was on sprat, support for
the third season of self-sampling by the sardine fishery was continued.
Ultimately, the main aim is that the self-sampling programme for both the
sprat and sardine fisheries can run autonomously and will (continue to)
contribute reliable fisheries dependent data to the assessment process for
both stocks.
This year (2020-21) new technology was added to the fourth self-sampling
season for sardine, and the third season for the sprat fishery. The first
technological innovation added to the programme was the development of a phone
app in collaboration with the company Applied Satellite Technology (AST;
www.theastgroup.com/uk_) which would facilitate the data collection and
submission aboard the participating fishing vessels. The second innovation was
the installation of temperature and pressure tags (sensors) onboard the
fishing vessels, to acquire data on the environmental conditions in which they
operate. This was a question suggested by the industry to improve
understanding of seasonal dynamics and behaviour of the relevant pelagic fish
populations. The steps towards the digitalization of the programme were
intended to be the final steps toward the programme running autonomously, with
the minimal Cefas intervention.
The available time series for both sprat and sardine length data from the
fishery were of relevance this year as they were important in the stock
assessment review, being used for the inter-benchmark for sprat in ICES
division 7de (ICES) and the first full benchmark for sardine in division 7.
.. _www.theastgroup.com/uk:
http://www.theastgroup.com/uk