Pollack FISP

A Marine Conservation Research Group project to collect vital data about pollack movement, habitat choice, populations and life history
Pollack
 
Pollack is an economically and socially important species for communities along the Devon and Cornwall coast, and has experienced a 72% decline in commercial landings over the last 20 years. A lack of evidence hampers fisheries management, so the Pollack FISP will collect vital data about pollack movement, habitat choice, populations and life history.

Data collection: tracking fish

Pollack have been fitted with acoustic tags, allowing their movements to be tracked using a network of receivers around the UK and Europe. Each tag continuously emits a uniquely coded ‘ping’ which can be detected by receivers on the seabed. The University of Plymouth runs the Fish Intel Network of receivers along the south coast of England.
This tracking data is revealing when and where pollack migrate, and identifying habitats that are important for the fish, particularly at sensitive times such as spawning. It is also providing mortality estimates by identifying uncharacteristic absences of tagged fish.
You can read about our findings in our non-technical summary .
Pollack FISP logo

Working together: records of pollack catches

If you are a recreational charter skipper who would be interested in providing data on pollack, please contact bryce.stewart@plymouth.ac.uk. A consortium of charter vessels is collecting data on fish length and Catch Per Unit Effort. A subsample of fish have been retained to provide biological data for stock assessment. Stomach contents will be analysed to identify prey species, and gonads will be used to calculate spawning activity. Each fish will be measured and aged, providing information on their size at different ages and at maturity.
Anecdotal reports from commercial and recreational fishers have reported declining catch rates, with boats having to increase effort to capture fewer and smaller fish. To provide empirical evidence and inform future sustainable management, the project analysed historic trends in pollack populations using catch logbooks from charter boats and records of trophy catches held at angling clubs.

Aims: project partners

Overall, the project is providing a strong evidence-base to inform sustainable management of pollack fisheries in the Channel. To help translate the data into policy, fishers have been interviewed to identify common concerns and ideas for fisheries-management recommendations.
The project is led by Dr Emma Sheehan and post-doctoral researcher Dr Thomas Stamp from the University of Plymouth. It is supported by funding from the Defra Fisheries in Science Partnership (FISP) scheme, and delivered in partnership with the Professional Boatman’s Association, the University of York, the Marine Biological Association, the Angling Trust and Cefas.
Research vessel
Students in hard hats working on a pollack line fishing boat

Reporting a tagged fish

Some of the fish we’ve tagged have been fitted with a yellow 'floy' tag at the base of the dorsal fin. On this tag you will see an email address (fishtagging@plymouth.ac.uk) and a tag ID number.
If you catch a tagged fish, please email us with as much information as possible about when and where the fish was caught. If you’re fishing on secret marks, even just knowing this fish has been recaptured is extremely valuable to us.
 

More information

More information on the Pollack FISP is available on the Angling Trust website
Information about the receiver network can be found on the Fish Intel Network webpage