CE19004

The 2019 Irish Anglerfish and Megrim Survey (IAMS) took place from 1-25th March (area 7bcjk) and 16-25th April 2019 (area 6a) on RV Celtic Explorer. The main objective of the survey is to obtain biomass and abundance indices for anglerfish (Lophius piscatorius and L. budegassa) and megrim (Lepidorhombus whiffiagonis and L. boscii) in areas 6a (south of 58°N) and 7 (west of 8°W). Secondary objectives are to collect data on the distribution, relative abundance and biology of other commercially exploited species. This year, additional sampling took place in deep water (up to 1,500m) in order to monitor the recovery of exploited deep-water species following the decline of the deep-water fisheries in Irish waters. The IAMS survey is coordinated with the Scottish Anglerfish and Megrim Survey (SIAMISS) and uses the same gear and fishing practices

CV14009

This report provides the results of the third underwater television on the ‘Porcupine Bank Nephrops grounds’ ICES assessment area; Functional Unit 16. The survey was multi-disciplinary in nature collecting UWTV, CTD and other ecosystem data. In total 67 UWTV stations were successfully completed in a randomised 6 nautical mile isometric grid covering the full spatial extent of the stock. The mean burrow density observed in 2014, adjusted for edge effect, was 0.10 burrows/m². The final krigged abundance estimate was 722 million burrows with a relative standard error of 3% and an estimated stock area of 7,108km2. The abundance estimate was 6% lower than in 2013. Landings options at various different fishing mortalities were calculated in line with the recommendations of WKNEPH 2013. Fishing at Fmsy in 2015 implies catches of 1,850 t which close to the 2014 catch limit. This is because of an increase in average mean weight of the landings. The three species of sea-pen; Virgularia mirabilis, Funiculina quadrangularis and Pennatula phosphorea, were all observed during the survey. Trawl marks were also observed on over half of the stations surveyed

CV14009

This report provides the main results and findings of the thirteenth 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, fishing, CTD and other ecosystem data. In total 33 UWTV stations were successfully completed in a randomised isometric grid design at 3.5nmi or 6.5km intervals over the known range of the stock on the Aran Grounds. The mean burrow density observed in 2014, adjusted for edge effect, was 0.29 burrows/m². The final krigged burrow abundance estimate was 287 million burrows with a CV (or relative standard error) of 4 %. Abundance estimates have fluctuated considerably over the time series. The 2014 abundance estimate was 9% lower than in 2013 and the lowest estimate in the 13 year time series. Raised abundance estimates for Galway Bay and Slyne Head were also low for those areas. Using the 2014 abundance estimate together with updated parameters for mean weight and proportions of removals retained implies catch advice, fishing at Fmsy (=F35%spr), of 584 tonnes and landings of 524 tonnes in 2015. Nephrops accounted for approximately 70% of the benthic catch by weight from 5 beam trawl tows. The relatively high numbers caught around 15 CL mm (carapace length) may indicate strong incoming recruitment. Virgilaria mirabilis was the most common of the two sea-pen species observed on the UWTV footage. Funiculina quadrangularis was observed at one station on the Slyne Head Nephrops ground

Tracking Atlantic bluefin tuna from foraging grounds off the west coast of Ireland

This is the author accepted manuscript. The final version is available from Oxford University Press via the DOI in this recordPop-up archival tags (n=16) were deployed on Atlantic bluefin tuna off the west coast of Ireland in October and November 2016 (199 to 246cm Curved Fork Length, CFL), yielding 2799 days of location data and 990 and 989 days of depth and temperature time-series data respectively, including downloaded archives from three recovered tags. Most daily locations (96%, n=2,651) occurred east of 45°W, the current stock management boundary for Atlantic bluefin tuna. Key open ocean habitats occupied were the Bay of Biscay and the Central North Atlantic, with two migratory patterns evident: an east-west group and an eastern resident group. Five out of six tags that remained attached until July 2017 returned to the northeast Atlantic after having migrated as far as the Canary Islands, the Mediterranean Sea and the Central North Atlantic. Tracked bluefin tuna exhibited a diel depth-use pattern occupying shallower depths at night and deeper depths during the day. Four bluefin tuna visited known spawning grounds in the central and western Mediterranean Sea, and one may have spawned, based on recovered data showing oscillatory dives transecting the thermocline on 15 nights. These findings demonstrate the complexity of the aggregation of Atlantic bluefin tuna off Ireland and, more broadly in the northeast Atlantic, highlighting the need for dedicated future research to conserve this important aggregation.European Maritime and Fisheries FundU.K. Department for Farming Fisheries and Rural Affair

Report of the Horse Mackerel, Mediterranean Horse Mackerel and Blue Jack Mackerel (Trachurus trachurus, T. mediterreaneus and T. picturatus) Otolith Exchange 2015

The ICES Planning Group on Commercial Catch, Discards and Biological Sampling (PGCCDBS) identified the need of the Horse Mackerel, Mediterranean Horse Mackerel and Blue Jack Mackerel (Trachurus trachurus, T. mediterreaneus and T. picturatus) otolith exchange to take place in 2015. It was the forth exchange. The IFREMER institute and the COISPA Tecnologia & Ricerca, Italy, coordinated this exchange. A total of 550 fish was sampled from the Atlantic Ocean (Eastern Channel, Celtic Sea, Bay of Biscay, Azores, Portuguese waters and Tenerife) and the Mediterranean Sea (Alboran Sea, South Adriatic Sea and Ligurian Sea). 19 readers from 8 countries (France, Germany, Spain, Ireland, Italy, Portugal, Netherlands and Norway) participated to this exchange. Among three Trachurus species, all data showed the very low precision with the percent agreement between 47 and 56% and the CV from 29 to 69%. The precision analysis showed the same level of precision between otolith sections and whole otoliths from the Ligurian Sea