Published

New evidence of small demersal fish in the southern North Sea - data Version 2

Bram Parmentier (Royal Netherlands Institute for Sea Research) Royal Netherlands Institute for Sea Research https://doi.org/10.25850/nioz/7b.b.nj

data used for manuscript "Small fish biomass in the North Sea is far greater than previously estimated". Small fish, including species with small adult sizes and juveniles of larger species, play a central role in marine food webs as prey for top predators, such as seabirds, marine mammals, and piscivorous fish. However, reliable data on small fish are lacking as conventional fisheries surveys primarily focus on larger, commercially important species and underestimate small fish. Consequently, little is known about the absolute biomasses, and fine-scale distribution patterns of this important trophic group. Based on 1,307 quantitative Triple-D samples from the Dutch EEZ and the UK sector of the Dogger Bank, biomass densities were estimated for pooled small demersal fish and for the most abundant species individually. Our estimates suggest that small demersal fish biomass is at least twice as high as reported in trawl-based studies. Uniformly distributed species such as dab (Limanda limanda) and plaice (Pleuronectes platessa) contributed most to the overall small fish biomass, while sandeels (Ammodytidae) showed particularly high local densities. These new prey biomass estimates might change our understanding of the North Sea ecosystem’s carrying capacity, and establishes a baseline for monitoring changes in small fish communities driven by climate change and human impacts.

Data and Resources

Additional Info

Field Value
Subject Earth and Environmental Sciences
DAS Code 7b.b.nj
Source https://doi.org/10.25850/nioz/7b.b.nj
Version 2
Creator(s)
Parmentier, Bram (Royal Netherlands Institute for Sea Research)
ORCID
Contact the corresponding author

Witbaard, Rob (Royal Netherlands Institute for Sea Research)
ORCID
Depositor Bram Parmentier (bram.parmentier@nioz.nl)
Publication Date 2025-06-19T15:37:59.7129688
Deposit Date 2025-04-16
Dataset Persistent Identifier DOI:10.25850/nioz/7b.b.nj
Alternate identifier
Related identifier
Contributor Royal Netherlands Institute for Sea Research (NIOZ)
Distributor Research Data Management(NIOZ Royal Netherlands Institute for Sea Research)
Distribution Date 2025-04-16
Production Date 2025-06-19
Dates
Funding References
NWO (TWM.81.019.008)
Forage Fish

HORIZON EUROPE (101060072)
ACTNOW
Geographic Coverage
Sourthern North Sea
North Bound: 56
South Bound: 52
West Bound: 0
East Bound: 7