Fisheries databases
Catch, effort, landing, vessel and gear records
Management · assessment · reporting
Data and laboratories
The national marine and fisheries information system, and the laboratory platform now being commissioned.
Collecting, managing and safeguarding scientific data is a core responsibility. The laboratories are the Institute’s most immediate development priority.
Information system
Eight data layers, one institutional custody.
Species database
Occurrence, distribution, identification characters, reference material
Identification · conservation · teachingFish landing data
Landings by site, species, gear, date and quantity
Production statisticsCatch and effort data
Composition and effort by fleet segment, season and area
CPUE and stock assessmentBiological datasets
Length, weight, sex, maturity and age records
Growth, mortality, maturityOceanographic data
Physical and chemical measurements and time series
Environmental interpretationGIS databases
Coastline, habitats, landing sites, fishing grounds, managed areas
Spatial planningResearch datasets
Curated outputs linked to the research register
Reanalysis and collaboration
Current status
The laboratory platform is designed. It is not yet operational.
No analytical service is offered or performed at present. Commissioning the platform is the single intervention that would most rapidly extend the Institute’s scientific capability.
Until commissioning, work requiring laboratory analysis is undertaken through partner and external laboratories where a programme requires it.
Priority order: marine biology and fisheries biology first — they serve stock assessment directly.
Commissioning sequence
Laboratories will enter service in this order.
1
Marine biology
Identification, morphometrics, reference collection.
2
Fisheries biology
Length, sex, maturity, age reading.
3
Water & environment
Quality, contaminants, pollution monitoring.
4
GIS, taxonomy, data
Spatial analysis, species keys, computing.
Marine Biology Laboratory
Examination, dissection, preservation and identification; morphometric measurement; the marine reference collection; practical teaching.
Fisheries Biology Laboratory
Length and weight measurement, sex determination, maturity staging, gonad and stomach analysis, age structure preparation and reading.
Water Quality Laboratory
Marine and coastal water quality in support of environmental assessment, aquaculture and conservation research.
Marine Environmental Laboratory
Contaminants, marine litter and environmental condition for pollution monitoring and reporting.
Aquaculture Laboratory
Species suitability, hatchery technique, and feed and nutrition work.
Fish Taxonomy & Identification Laboratory
Taxonomic determination; identification keys; support to the national species database.
GIS & Remote Sensing Laboratory
Spatial data capture, habitat mapping and marine spatial analysis.
Computer & Data Laboratory
Database administration, statistical analysis and scientific computing; teaching of data management.