Demersal Fish - Spatial variation in Species Diversity of demersal fish in waters around Scotland, averaged over the period 1999 to 2008

The spatial variation in Species Diversity of Demersal fish in waters around Scotland, averaged over the period 1999 to 2010

This dataset is part of the larger Spatial Variation of Demersal Fish in Waters Around Scotland Dataset, which includes three layers that show the spatial variation of Demersal fish (generally living on or near the seabed) in waters around Scotland (averaged over the period 1999 to 2008) for:

• Size Composition (Large Fish Indicator) (defined as the proportion of fish (by weight) in the community that is greater than 40 cm in length). The higher the value (varying between 0 and 1), the greater the proportion of large fish in the community.
• Species Richness (a count of the number of Demersal fish species recorded in any survey sample).
• Species Diversity (indices that also take account of the relative abundance of each species in the sample).

All three datasets are based on surveys carried out by ICES set up to provide fisheries independent information to support stock assessments.