2024 University of Plymouth Pollack FISP Acoustic Telemetry Dataset

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. Pollack were be 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. This tracking data will reveal when and where pollack migrate, and identify habitats that are important for the fish, particularly at sensitive times such as spawning. It will also provide mortality estimates by identifying uncharacteristic absences of tagged fish.