Activity	3.1 Scallop Stocks and Fisheries
Led by	Oliver Tully (MI)
Questions	Has the abundance and density of scallops in the southern Irish Sea and northern Celtic sea changed since the 2001-2005 dredge surveys were carried out in these areas? Can standardisation of the time series of catch rate data from the offshore fleet targeting scallops result in accurate trends in abundance? Can a port sampling programme collecting data on size and age by ICES rectangle inform an age-based assessment of Irish scallop stocks? Can gonad index and maturity data provide temporal and spatial information on the spawning cycles of scallop stocks?

 

Activity	3.2 Seabass Stocks and Fisheries
Led by	Niall O’Maoileidigh (MI)
Questions	To what extent do environmental factors, such as water temperature and salinity, affect the movement and behaviours of sea bass in inshore waters? To what extent do sea bass which originate from inshore Irish and Welsh waters potentially aggregate at offshore spawning locations in the Celtic Sea and Irish Sea and how are these migrations influenced by environmental factors? Where are the likely locations of offshore sources of larvae which are believed to be a major source of recruitment for sea bass nurseries on the southern coast of Ireland? What is the likely impact of short, medium and long-term climate change on the behaviours and migrations of sea bass in the Celtic Sea and Irish Sea regions?

 

Activity	3.3 Mussel Populations and Larval Settlement
Led by	Ronan Browne (BIM)
Questions	What are threats to species from climate change, invasives and pathogens? Determine genetic structure of population across the study area Observe a seed bed(s) in situ and follow/observe this seed when relayed. Distribution of seed.