Species Spawning and Nursery Areas
This Irish national dataset maps spawning and nursery grounds for commercially important fish species, including hake, mackerel, horse mackerel, Atlantic cod, herring, haddock, megrim, blue whiting, black-belly and white-belly angler monkfish, and whiting. Spawning grounds are locations where fish release and fertilise eggs, helping to characterise species distribution, while nursery areas are habitats supporting the survival of juvenile fish. Areas where spawning and nursery functions overlap are also identified. Degradation of these habitats can reduce or halt production of commercially harvested species, making the data relevant to fisheries management and marine spatial planning.This dataset shows spawning and nursery grounds of commercially important species, in particular: Hake, Mackerel, Horse Mackerel, Atlantic Cod, Herring, Haddock, Megrim, Blue Whiting, Black Belly Angler Monkfish, White Belly Angler Monkfish and Whiting. Spawning area, spawning grounds and spawning beds are considered the locations where commercially important species of fish leave their eggs for fertilisation. Spawn consists of the reproductive cells (gametes) of fish, some of which will become fertilised and produce offspring. The process of spawning typically involves females releasing ova (unfertilized eggs) into the water, often in large quantities, while males simultaneously or sequentially release spermatozoa (milt) to fertilise the eggs. Spawning grounds help understand the species distribution of a particular commerically important fish. Marine nursery areas are habitats that promote the survival of young commercially important fish species. Many of these creatures are important to humans in fisheries and seafood. These habitats are essential for the reproduction and understanding of the geographical species distribution. Take them away or degrade them, and the production of commercially harvested species will decline or cease altogether. Spawning and Nursery grounds are areas where both spawning and nursery grounds overlap. None.
Trust score
How is this computed?Weighted across five axes. Tap a ring for what it measures.
Data access
Serves rendered map images, not a downloadable table — so there is no tabular schema. The service's GetCapabilities document lists the available map layers.
Verification Status
Using the API
Configuration
- Base URL
- https://atlas.marine.ie/arcgis/services/21_Appendix_E_Maps_of_Fish_Spawning_and_Nursery_Grounds/MapServer/WMSServer?request=GetCapabilities&service=WMS
Query examples
curl -s 'https://atlas.marine.ie/arcgis/services/21_Appendix_E_Maps_of_Fish_Spawning_and_Nursery_Grounds/MapServer/WMSServer?request=GetCapabilities&service=WMS' -H 'Accept: application/json'Base API endpoint — see the documentation for available routes.