The Irish Groundfish Survey forms part of the International Bottom Trawl Survey (IBTS) programme, an international survey effort coordinated by ICES (the International Council of the Exploration of the Sea). Over 42 days in the Autumn/Winter each year the survey collects demersal trawl and ancillary data in Irish waters to produce relative abundance indices for fisheries management.

The Irish Groundfish Survey (IGFS) in its current form commenced in 2003 on the 65m research vessel, the R.V. Celtic Explorer. In Irish waters currently, France and Ireland cover the Celtic Sea area, Ireland covers the shelf West of Ireland, Ireland and the UK Scotland cover the north coast of Ireland and the UK Northern Ireland covers the Irish Sea.