Implementing More and Better Use of ICES Survey data

ongoing

Fisheries independent bottom trawl survey data are annually collected under the EU Data Collection Framework. Historically, these data have been used to inform fisheries catch advice. More recently, their scope has expanded to encompass comprehensive assessments for a variety of fisheries conservation, climate change and management issues, including the ecosystem approach to fisheries. The IMBUS project (Implementing More and Better Use of ICES Survey data) will develop standardized and easily accessible tools and products that allow more, and better use of bottom trawl survey data collected under the umbrella of ICES. The two main objectives of IMBUS are to improve 1) quality control of data collection process on board of bottom-trawl survey vessels and 2) access to bottom-trawl survey data for different purposes and user groups. For the first objective, IMBUS aims to develop pioneering real-time quality control software that can operate directly on survey vessels during data collection. The software will address distinct data collection protocols for individual vessels and surveys, which allows the detection of errors. For the second objective, IMBUS will survey a diverse range of potential users and develop survey products that are tailored to different user groups, such as stock assessment experts, Advisory Councils, Fishing organizations and NGOs. An explicit focus will be on visualizing and modelling the spatial-temporal distribution of different species and survey-derived indicators of abundance and growth. The IMBUS project aims to maximize scientific survey data's potential, fueling better-informed management decisions by enhancing data quality and by strengthening and promoting user access to survey results. The project’s integration within the ICES Data Center ensures sustainability and replicability of the results. Visualization tools, developed as Shiny packages, will be embedded in the public ICES shiny server and made available to all user groups.