Thornback ray (Raja clavata) and lesser-spotted dogfish (Scyliorhinus canicula) are two of the most abundant demersal elasmobranchs occurring in the Eastern English Channel. R. clavata is commercially exploited, though S. canicula is of less commercial importance. As part of the CHARM project (http://charm.canterbury.ac.uk), Catch Per Unit Effort (CPUE) data for the period 1989-2004 were compiled from two annual, fishery-independent trawl surveys that are undertaken in the Eastern English Channel (ICES Division VIId), the English Eastern Channel Beam Trawl Survey (ECBTS) and the French Channel Groundfish Survey (CGFS). Annual patterns in the relative abundance (number of fish per km2) of R. clavata and S. canicula were mapped, and seasonal and inter-annual variations examined.