Title: Developing Quality Assurance for Fish Counter Data - Phase 1: An Assessment of the Salmonid Fish Counter Network in England and Wales
Author: J Gregory
Author: P Gough
Author: Environment Agency
Document Type: Monograph
Annotation: Environment Agency Project ID:EAPRJOUT_1243, Representation ID: 408, Object ID: 2454
Abstract:
The use of fish counters to monitor and enumerate the annual migrations of salmonids has become well established in the UK since the original concept for fish counters was developed in 1949. In 1999 the fisheries function of the Environment Agency initiated a review of its fisheries monitoring work, and as a part of this the existing National fish counter systems were reviewed in 2000. This review largely confirmed the perceived problems of the absence of consistent protocols and therefore the unacceptable variety in the methods of operation, data collection and validation, and in the analysis, interpretation and reporting of fish counter data. It was clear that criteria for data quality were not always recognised and that no nationally consistent procedures for monitoring data quality were in place. In order to bring counter operations to an acceptable and consistent standard, it was determined that a programme to determine Best Practice was required, and that subsequently each counter operated by the Agency, for whatever purpose, should be assessed against this standard in a programme of Quality Assurance. The conclusions derived from the work were: 1. The current network of fish counters in the Environment Agency comprises systems of various age and design, operating to variable standards. 2. The National Review of Fisheries Monitoring has confirmed that there is an ongoing requirement for data that can be produced by fish counters. 3. This work has served to identify, for the first time, the current operating standards of each counter in the network. 4. The work has also identified the way forward from here. A quality assurance programme to confirm current operating protocol at each site, the potential standard that could be achieved there, and to identify site investment plans is now needed. 5. A National Fish Counters Group has been formed in the Agency and this represents a good method for future co-ordination of activities.
Publisher: Environment Agency
Subject Keywords: Evaluation; Quality assurance; Fish counters; Salmon fisheries; Rivers; Migration; Monitoring; Freshwater ecology
Geographic Keywords: England; Wales
Taxonomic Keywords: Salmonidae; Salmo salar
Extent: 30
Permalink: http://www.environmentdata.org/archive/ealit:4697
Total file downloads: 341
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