Seabird Monitoring undertaken during the Western European Shelf Pelagic Acoustic Survey (WESPAS) 2021

A standard line transect survey methodology was employed by the seabird observer with additional visual point sampling at fishing locations and oceanographic sampling stations. Survey transects were undertaken at speeds of 5-10 knots, with fishing activity being conducted at speeds of 2-3 knots.

The seabird observer’s survey effort was maximized and optimized during periods of sea state less than or equal to sea state 6 and with visibility of greater than 300m. A total of 7210 seabird observations were recorded throughout the survey, totalling 32229 individuals. In total, 12391 seabirds were recorded as “in transect”, while 19838 were recorded “off transect”.