CE18018 Irish Groundfish Survey (igFs) 2018 Leg II_IV

This survey was conducted on board the RV Celtic Explorer in 2018 by the Marine Institute (MI) as part of the annual groundfish survey to determine the distribution and Abundance of commercial fish around Ireland. The Irish Groundfish Survey (igFs) forms part of the International Bottom Trawl Survey (IBTS) programme, an international survey effort coordinated by the International Council of the Exploration of the Sea (ICES). Each year the survey, taking place in Autumn/Winter, collects demersal trawl and ancillary data in Irish waters to produce relative Abundance indices for fisheries management. In particular the survey provides an index of the share of young fish in the stock, which in turn gives an indication of its spawning success. The igFs contributes to Ireland’s international obligation to supply scientific data that support the implementation of the Common Fisheries Policy (CFP). This survey is a series of demersal sampling trawls at pre-defineds stations. The 2018 survey took place over 2 Legs. Leg 1 (CE18017) took place in October-November and Leg 2, in the western and southern areas was carried out during November/December.