6a7ae196091dadb6e3d591712f19dbbc English dataset Dominic Bailey Kent and Essex Inshore Fisheries and Conservation Authority dominic.bailey@kentandessex-ifca.gov.uk pointOfContact 2021-02-15 MEDIN Discovery metadata standard 2.3.8 urn:ogc:def:crs:EPSG::4326 Kent and Essex IFCA Cockle Surveys 1994 - present ongoing data 2011-04-10 publication 2011-04-10 creation 2011-04-10 revision KEIFCA000001 http://www.kentandessex-ifca.gov.uk Cockle stock assessment data including density, biomass and stock size from the populations within the Kent and Essex IFCA district. The data is collected in the intertidal areas using either shore based or vessel based survey methodologies for the purposes of; informing the necessary Appropriate Assessment for this fishery as it operates within a designated site, and informing the annual management of the fishery. Dominic Bailey Kent and Essex Inshore Fisheries and Conservation Authority dominic.bailey@kentandessex-ifca.gov.uk originator Dominic Bailey Kent and Essex Inshore Fisheries and Conservation Authority dominic.bailey@kentandessex-ifca.gov.uk custodian continual Delimited Geographic Information System Marine Environmental Data and Information Network NDGO0005 Species distribution GEMET - INSPIRE themes, version 1.0 2008-01-06 revision Shellfish abundance and biomass in water bodies SeaDataNet P021 parameter discovery vocabulary 2009-11-16 revision Inshore activities a thesaurus 2011-09-01 publication Protected Areas MEDIN 2012-02-14 creation Data is freely available for research or commercial use providing that the originators are acknowledged in any publications produced, charts are not to be used for navigation. otherRestrictions No restrictions to public access 370 English biota Charting Progress 2 Sea Areas 2009-06-18 creation Southern North Sea ICES Rectangles 2009-05-01 creation 31F0 ICES Rectangles 2009-05-01 creation 31F1 0.5548 1.4996 51.2722 51.8120 1994-01-01 2011-04-10 Dominic Bailey Kent and Essex Inshore Fisheries and Conservation Authority dominic.bailey@kentandessex-ifca.gov.uk distributor dataset Although the surveys have been conducted prior to 1994, survey methodology changed to the current methods in that year. Data from years prior to 2000 is not currently digitised. No end date was given as the survey is ongoing. The publish date for the 2011 research report relates to when the report was placed on the KEIFCA website. Several hundred 0.1m day grab samples and quadrat samples are taken across the area throughout the year with the exact time of year depending on the specific site. Quad bikes are used to carry out the shore surveys to allow large areas of the cockle beds to be covered during the limited time periods of low water exposure. Samples are collected using a randomly placed 0.1m² quadrat dug to a depth of 6cm. Each sample is placed into a 5 mm square meshed sieve to be separated from the sediment by passing water through the sieve. On shore the cockles are separated into different year classes, identified by the number of growth rings visible on the outside of the shell. The cockles are enumerated and retained for further analysis. Vessel based sampling is carried out in a similar manner but with the initial sampling phase being collected by day grab rather than by quadrat.