Presented at the 2024 Marine Biological Association Postgraduate Conference.
Presentation blurb: In the last two decades global whelk fisheries have undergone dramatic economic and geographic expansion, yet whelk are classified as data deficient stocks and are inherently vulnerable to overexploitation due to their life history traits. The susceptibility of whelks coupled with limited temporal data and increasing exploitation have led to concerns regarding the sustainability of whelk fisheries. This study estimated the density of the common whelk, Buccinum undatum, using mark recapture methods at six sites across two commercially fished regions in North Wales and investigated the size selectivity of whelk pots. These density estimates and gear size selectivity can be used to inform stock assessments and are crucial for effective fisheries management.