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In an attempt to map the distribution of fronts within the North Sea, a two-pass filtering technique is used to identify temperature gradients on NOAA-AVHRR SST data. Even with 8-day, 9-km resolution, seasonal trends in frontal regimes can be identified. Article from Marine Science Symposia Vol. 219 - "Hydrobiological variability in the ICES Area, 1990-1999", symposium held in Edinburgh, 8-10 August 2001. To access the remaining articles please click on the keyword "MSS Vol. 219".

The Working Group on Mackerel and Horse Mackerel Egg Surveys (WGMEGS) is responsible for the planning, data collection, and data analysis of the ICES triennial mackerel and horse mackerel egg surveys. This report focuses on the execution of the mackerel and horse mackerel egg survey (MEGS) in 2022. The results of the two 2021 online Workshops on Mackerel, Horse Mackerel and Hake Eggs Identification and Staging (WKMACHIS) and on Adult Egg Production Methods Parameters estima-tion in Mackerel and Horse Mackerel (WKAEPM) were discussed, with the subsequent enhance-ments and recommendations proposed during these workshops outlined in the workshop re-ports (ICES, 2022 a,b) and also incorporated into both of the WGMEGS manuals (ICES 2019a, b). Although the broad planning of the 2022 survey was undertaken during the 2021 planning meet-ing and detailed in the WGMEGS 2021 report, the provisionally agreed plan required additional intersessional refinements. The settled plan for the 2022 survey has been included as an annex in the latest version of the WGMEGS Manual for the Mackerel and Horse Mackerel Egg Surveys (ICES SISP 6, 2019a). In 2022, the survey once again faced significant challenges with regards to its ability to provide adequate geographical and temporal coverage given the limited vessel resources at our disposal. In 2022, Portugal, Spain (IEO and AZTI), Ireland, UK/Scotland, the Netherlands, Germany, the Faroe Islands, and Norway participated in the egg survey in the western and southern areas. Denmark and UK/England, with some additional assistance from Norway surveyed the North Sea as a single-pass DEPM survey. This is the first time in many years that all surveys have been completed in the same year. In 2022, the survey was split into six sampling periods. The final period ended in late July. Waters west and southwest of Portugal were surveyed in period 2 only. The Cantabrian Sea was sam-pled in periods 3–5 while Biscay was sampled in periods 3 to 6. The Celtic Sea and waters west of the British Isles were sampled in periods 3 to 7, and the waters north and northwest of Britain towards Iceland and into the Norwegian Sea were sampled in periods 5 and 6. Mackerel daily egg production was highest in period 5, (May), for the western component, while for the southern component the maximum spawning intensity was observed in period 3. Total mackerel egg production (provisional, southern and western component combined) was 1.64 * 1015. Provisional fecundity estimate was 1178 egg per gram female, resulting in an SSB index of 3.88 * 106 tonnes. For the Western stock of horse mackerel, highest mean daily egg production was estimated dur-ing June, period 6. Spawning was very low throughout all survey periods, with an obvious peak occurring in period 6. Total annual egg production for western Horse mackerel was 5.15 * 1014, almost a 300% increase on 2019.

The Icelandic stock of cod forms an important part of the cod populations in the North Atlantic. In the years 1930-1938 the catch on lcelanclio grounds was 38.7 % of the total European catch of cod. In the same period the Norwegian coast yielded 22.5 %, Bear Island 9.1 %, the Barents Sea 8.8 %, the Newfoundland/Greenland Banks 6.7 % and the North Sea 5.9 %. This publication is part of Rapport et Proces-Verbaux des Reunions Vol. 136, which includes all contributions to a special scientific meeting on cod. To see all other articles in this volume, please click on the keyword "RPVR Vol. 136".

The tagging attempts with eels and the migration of tagged eels in the Baltic Sea. This publication is part of Rapport et Proces-Verbaux des Reunions Vol. 9. To see all other articles in this volume, please click on the keyword "RPVR Vol. 9". Publication in German.

Length-based approaches for the analysis of population age/growth parameters are reviewed and a new method of succession is proposed for shrimp growth studies. The method is based on an analysis of the dynamics of the size composition of the population. The observations used to develop the model were length-frequency distributions derived from trawl surveys conducted in the Gulf of Anadyr in several years between 1972 and 1979. The model describing the observations is based on two assumptions: (a) succession of generation strength ratios, and (b) linear growth pattern. The succession method reduces the problem of estimating the average annual increment for generations well represented in samples to that of estimating the parameters of a non-linear error-in-variables regression model. The proposed model is considered as the first in a hierarchy of models for studying the age composition of a population. The applicability of the method is discussed. Article from Marine Science Symposia Vol. 199 - "Shellfish life histories and shellfishery models". Symposium held in Moncton, New Brunswick, 25-29 June 1990. To access the remaining articles please click on the keyword "MSS Vol. 199".

The Working Group on Nephrops Surveys (WGNEPS) is the international coordination group for Nephrops underwater television and trawl surveys within ICES. This report summarizes the national contributions on the results of the surveys conducted in 2022 together with time series covering all survey years, problems encountered, data quality checks and technological improvements as well as the planning for survey activities for 2023. In total, 21 surveys covering 26 functional units (FU’s) in the ICES area and 1 geographical subarea (GSA) in the Adriatic Sea were discussed and further improvements in respect to survey design and data analysis standardization and the use of most recent technology were reviewed. The first exploratory UWTV survey on the FU 25 Nephrops grounds was also presented to the group. The results of the evaluation of reference sets for FU3&4 Skagerrak/Kattegat were accepted following the process set down by the 2018 workshop (WKNEPS). An alternative method estimate Nephrops abundance was shown to the group using the recently published R package sdmTMB. The group agreed to hold a workshop in 2025 to address burrow size estimations to update correction factors and terms of reference for this to be agreed at next meeting. Automatic burrow detection based on deep learning methods continues to show promising results where datasets from multiple institutes were used. Plans are being progressed for an international Nephrops UWTV database to be established at the ICES data centre with a sub-group.

This Data Call is limited to European eel and is addressed to all the countries within the geographic range of the European eel (North Atlantic, Baltic and Mediterranean Seas, and inland waters). These countries are distributed across different global and regional management organizations, e.g. those represented in WGEEL (EIFAAC, ICES, GFCM). The data will be used by WGEEL to conduct an assessment of the eel stock and factors affecting the stock in support of the recurrent ICES Advice.

The workshop was supported by the ICES Advisory Committee for the Marine Environment and the ICES Study Group on Marine Habitat Mapping. The workshop was hosted by the Institute of Marine Research in Bergen, Norway and chaired by Thomas T. Noji. Arne Hassel was appointed rapporteur. The workshop was previously entitled “Deep-Water Survey Technologies and the Development of Standards for Marine Habitat Mapping”.

Report from Norway on the biology of seals and on seal hunting. This publication is part of Rapport et Proces-Verbaux des Reunions Vol. 8. To see all other articles in this volume, please click on the keyword "RPVR Vol. 8". Publication in German.

This report provides information and advice on eco-regions for the implementation of an ecosystem approach in European waters. A review of existing biogeographical and management regions against a series of evaluation criteria demonstrated that no existing regions could be adopted as eco-regions. Thus eco-regions are proposed based on biogeographic and oceanographic features, taking account of existing political, social, economic and management divisions.

Report on ICES sponsored symposia held in 2022: The Symposium on Decadal Variability of the North Atlantic and its Marine Ecosystems: 2010–2019, held 20–22 June 2022, in Bergen, Norway. Oceans Past IX: Historical Perspectives on Marine Ecosystems, Fisheries, and Futures, held 22–25 June 2022, in Seattle, Washington, United States. Fourth ICES PICES Early Career Scientist Conference, held 18–21 July 2022, in St. John’s, Newfoundland, Canada. Symposium on Capelin—The canary in predicting effects of climate on the Arctic marine environment, held 10–13 October 2022, in Bergen, Norway. International Symposium on Small Pelagic Fish: New Frontiers in Science for Sustainable Management, held 7–11 November 2022, in Lisbon, Portugal.

ICES Annual Science Conference Book of abstracts of theme session I: Invertebrate life in three-dimensional habitat Conveners: Daniel Oesterwind (Germany), Carlos Mesquita (UK), Christopher Barrett (UK) CM 90: A comparison of survey design techniques for sea scallop, Placopecten magellanicus, camera sampling in the northwest Atlantic Ocean CM 112: Spatial distribution of Cephalopods of the European Shelf and their associated oceanographic parameters based on occurrence in standardized demersal fishing trawls CM 132: Vulnerable Marine Ecosystems found in a bathyal zone off the SE Iberian Peninsula (Western Mediterranean) CM 154: Prawns in peril? The effects of climate change on decapod shrimp and the communities that depend on them CM 174: Movement ecology of benthic invertebrates CM 191: Inverse distance weighted data interpolation using non-linear island boundary features for estimating sea urchin density across a continuous landscape CM 196: A 20-year review of the benthic impacts of Dublin Bay prawn fishing activities in heavily fished grounds in the north east Atlantic using available stock monitoring UWTV survey data CM 197: Genetic and morphological assessment of Alloteuthis species in the North East Atlantic CM 221: The importance of cephalopods to the diets of ecologically important finfish CM 236: The UK octopus fishery – A blast from the past? CM 246: Population structure, growth, mortality and yield per recruit of spiny lobster Palinurus elephas from the Azores CM 262: Abundance estimates of crustaceans along the northeastern continental shelf CM 272: Picky eaters? Using benthos data and trait information to study prey selectivity in demersal fishes CM 310: Population dynamics, reproductive and growth aspect of the European green crab along estuaries and lagoons of the Portuguese Coast CM 317: An investigation of microparasites in commercial crustaceans, focusing on velvet crab (Necora puber) and infection by Paramarteilia sp. CM 325: Bumpy shrimp: a tale of shrimp parasites with possible impacts on small scale fisheries CM 329: Undetectable changes in vertical distribution and abundance of mesozooplankton during neap and spring tides in the Midriff Archipelago Region, Gulf of California, Mexico CM 336: Ecology of sea cucumbers catches in north Atlantic trawl fisheries CM 351: The Atlantic sea scallop: an ideal sentinel species for climate change CM 406: Are harmful jellyfish advected by a seasonal Irish coastal current? CM 412: Modelling different components of marine plankton biodiversity (MODIV) CM 456: Importance of coastal nursery habitats for shrimps in French Guiana CM 483: Biodiversity of invertebrate macrofauna from the shrimp trawlers fishery in ZEE Angolan waters CM 24: Using ancient genomes to investigate responses to climate and anthropogenic impacts in the Atlantic bluefin tuna

The Norwegian fishery for cod in Greenland waters started in 1924. The fishery has been prosecuted on the offshore banks mainly between Cape Farewell and Disko Island. After World War I the fishery has been of increasing importance. Norwegian fishery investigations in Greenland waters have been carried out only since 1948. Material on the size of cod and the age composition in commercial catches has been collected during the years 1948—1952. This publication is part of Rapport et Proces-Verbaux des Reunions Vol. 136, which includes all contributions to a special scientific meeting on cod. To see all other articles in this volume, please click on the keyword "RPVR Vol. 136".

The Working Group on Fishing Technology and Fish Behaviour (WGFTFB) discusses and reviews research and practices of fishing technology and fish behaviour in relation to commercial and survey gears, and provides guidance for management including, inter alia, the impacts of fishing on the environment. The working group is jointly supported by the International Council for the Exploration of the Sea (ICES) and the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), which have fostered a fruitful working relationship in an international forum. Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the group did not meet physically in 2020 and 2021. Whereas the 2020 meeting was cancelled, the 2021 group meeting was conducted solely online (organized by the planned host IMR Bergen/Norway). The 2022-Working group meeting was planned to be held from 28.03.2022 to 01.04.2022 as physical/hybrid meeting in Rostock (Germany). Due to the postponement of all ICES meetings in March 2022, it was decided to hold a short online meeting on 23.05.2022 (see ICES' announcement at Important notice about ICES meetings). The aim of the short meeting was to – at least – give Working Group members the chance to meet and to discuss logistic aspects of the working group, such as end of term of duty for chairs and the 2023 meeting. In addition to the outcome of the discussions during the meeting, this document also contains the national reports describing activities in different countries. National reports are structured to give an overview of current and planned activities in the institutes and organizations of the county that are active in research in fishing gear and fish behaviour. They are an important tool to stimulate collaborative research by highlighting research themes and sharing of ideas that other countries might also benefit from. Current national reports cover a broad field of gear technology research, including research related to bycatch reduction of target and bycatch species (including ETP-species - endangered, threatened and protected species), minimizing the effect on the marine environment, pollution and energy efficiency. In addition to classical gear technology approaches, several projects are presented that focus on techniques, such as computer vision.

Cod from the Celtic Sea and the Channel entrance. This publication is part of Rapport et Proces-Verbaux des Reunions Vol. 136, which includes all contributions to a special scientific meeting on cod. To see all other articles in this volume, please click on the keyword "RPVR Vol. 136".

Report on ICES sponsored symposia held in 2014: The Second Fishery Dependent Information (FDI) Symposium; held 3–6 March 2014, in Rome, Italy. ICES/PICES Symposium on "Ecological basis of risk analysis for marine ecosystems"; held 2–4 June 2014, in Porvoo, Finland. Symposium on “Effects of fishing on benthic fauna and habitat: Change in ecosystem composition and functioning in response to fishing intensity, gear type and discard”; held 17–19 June 2014, in Tromsø, Norway. International Eel Symposium 2014: Are the eels climbing back up the slippery slope?; held 17–21 August 2014, in Quebec City, Canada. Johan Hjort Symposium on Recruitment Dynamics and Stock Variability; held 7–9 October 2014, in Bergen, Norway. The Fifth International Otolith Symposium 2014; held 20–24 October 2014, in Palma de Mallorca, Spain. PICES Meeting 2014 BIO/MEQ Topic Session (S3) "Tipping points: defining reference points for ecological indicators of multiple stressors in coastal and marine ecosystems"; held 21 October 2014, in Yeosu, Korea. PICES Meeting 2014 BIO/MEQ Topic Session (S8) "Marine debris in the Ocean: Sources, transport, fate and effects of marine Litter"; held 23 October 2014, in Yeosu, Korea. PICES Meeting 2014 FIS Topic Session (S5) "Ecosystem considerations in fishery management of cod and other im-portant demersal species"; held 22–23 October 2014, in Yeosu, Korea. PICES Meeting 2014 POC/MONITOR Topic Session (S9) "Variability in advection and its biological consequences for Subarctic and Arctic ecosystems"; held 23 October 2014, Yeosu, Korea.

Results of monthly sampling at a 70-m-deep shelf station off A Coruna (NW Spain) from 1991 to 1999 illustrate the relationships between changes in biological productivity, seasonal upwelling, and interannual changes in the composition of Eastern North Atlantic Central Waters (ENACW). During most of the 1990s the North Atlantic Oscillation (NAO) index was positive, resulting in warm and wet weather off NW Spain. It also produced a subsurface poleward current, which transported ENACW of high salinity and low nutrient content. In contrast, negative NAO index values in 1995 and 1996 coincided with the return of low-salinity, nutrient-rich ENACW. Article from Marine Science Symposia Vol. 219 - "Hydrobiological variability in the ICES Area, 1990-1999", symposium held in Edinburgh, 8-10 August 2001. To access the remaining articles please click on the keyword "MSS Vol. 219".

A mixture of neritic copepod species, meroplanktonic larvae, and ichthyoplankton usually dominates the zooplankton on the Faroe Shelf during spring and summer. The ecosystem, however, is very much affected by the interannually variable influx of Calanus fimnarchicus. During the 1990s, the plankton production, abundance, and species composition fluctuated greatly, the zooplankton biomass on the Shelf (which is mainly C. finrmrchicus biomass) by a factor of 10. When the abundance of C. fimnarchicus was high, the abundance of neritic zooplankton was generally low and vice versa. Interannually. there is a strong inverse relationship between zoop­lankton biomass on the Shelf and new primary production. During the 1990s, new primary production from spring to mid-summer fluctuated by a factor of about 5, inversely related to the zooplankton biomass. The good relationship between primary production and fish reproduction and growth and is most likely the result of variable production of zooplankton of a suitable size for fish larvae during spring. Article from Marine Science Symposia Vol. 219 - "Hydrobiological variability in the ICES Area, 1990-1999", symposium held in Edinburgh, 8-10 August 2001. To access the remaining articles please click on the keyword "MSS Vol. 219".

The Gulf of St Lawrence is an enclosed sea located in Eastern Canada. It is characterised by the presence year-round of a layer of cold water (temperature < 0 °C and average salinity = 32.4) (Lauzier & Trites, 1958; Gilbert & Pettigrew, 1997). In winter, the water column is a two-layer system (Koutitonsky & Bugden, 1991). The permanent cold layer mixes with surface waters via storm events and density changes of surface waters caused by cold winter air temperatures. As a result, water is below 0°C from the surface down to circa 100 m. Starting in April, the water column becomes a three-layer system, with a cold intermediate layer (CIL), due to the increasing temperature and lowering salinity of surface waters (Koutitonsky & Bugden, 1991) (Gilbert & Pettigrew, 1997). In summer, the CIL is found from circa 50 to 100 m. Both surface waters and the CIL are rich in oxygen. Waters deeper than the CIL are warmer: temperature is circa 2°C below the CIL, around 125 m, and increases with depth up to about 250 m, where it typically reaches 4 to 6°C, and remains relatively stable at greater depths (Bugden, 1991). Deep waters do not mix with the CIL or surface waters. This prevents them from getting replenished in oxygen. Furthermore, deep waters flow upstream. A variable mix of waters from the Atlantic and the Labrador Current enters the Laurentian channel, with oxygen levels varying between 60 and 70% saturation (Bugden, 1991; Gilbert & Pettigrew, 1997). As these waters progress toward the head of the Laurentian channel, they get progressively more depleted in oxygen, and levels of 20–30% saturation are typical of the western end of the Gulf of St Lawrence and of the estuary (Figure 1). The Gulf of St Lawrence can be divided into a southern and a northern part, each occupied by one distinct cod stock in summer. The southern part, which is located south of the Laurentian channel, consists mainly of a relatively shallow bank bathed by the CIL and characterised by high levels of dissolved oxygen. The northern part includes the Laurentian channel and other deep waters troughs (Figure 1). In winter, cod from this stock are found along the eastern slope of the Esquiman channel, and the northern slope of the Laurentian channel along the southern coast of Newfoundland, in relatively warm waters that are also hypoxic (50–60% saturation). In spring, cod disperse into the northern Gulf and even the estuary, either in cold shallow waters or warm hypoxic waters, for the period of peak feeding activity. In late autumn cod older than 2 year-old return to deep waters in the Esquiman and Laurentian Channels. The cod stock of the northern Gulf of St Lawrence inhabits cold waters (Brander, 1995; Campana et al., 1995), is poorly productive (Dutil et al., 1999) and slow growing (Chouinard & Fréchet, 1994). Our objective was to investigate whether hypoxia reduces growth production of the stock. In this paper we review three laboratory experiments that aimed to determine the lethal threshold of hypoxia for cod, and the impact of hypoxia on cod growth. Finally, these results are incorporated into a simple model to estimate the possible impact of hypoxia on biomass growth of the fish from this stock.

The final session of the Symposium was divided into three parts. The Convener, Jakob Jakobsson, gave a summary of the main features, and this was followed by a general discussion, after which the Symposium was closed. The session was taped and the main points are published here. Article from Marine Science Symposia Vol. 198 - "Cod and climate change". Symposium held in Reykjavik, 23-27 August 1993. To access the remaining articles please click on the keyword "MSS Vol. 198".

The surface circulation of the Nordic Seas and its variability during the 1990s is investigated using current data obtained from satellite-tracked drifters. We find a seasonal intensification of the circulation during winter and during the first half of the 1990s, both due to the enhanced atmospheric momentum forcing. Article from Marine Science Symposia Vol. 219 - "Hydrobiological variability in the ICES Area, 1990-1999", symposium held in Edinburgh, 8-10 August 2001. To access the remaining articles please click on the keyword "MSS Vol. 219".

The Barents Sea is a shelf area of approximately 1.4 million km2, which borders to the Norwegian Sea in the west and the Arctic Ocean in the north, and is part of the continental shelf area surrounding the Arctic Ocean. The Barents Sea is bounded by the continental slope between Norway and Spitsbergen in the west, the continental slope towards the Arctic Ocean in the north, Novaya Zemlya in the east and the coast of Norway and Russia in the south (Figure 3.1.1). The average depth is 230 m, with a maximum depth of about 500 m at the western entrance. There are several bank areas, with depths between 50–200 m.

s from all contributions, other than those on which articles of the symposia issue were based, to "Measurement of primary production from the molecular to the global scale". Symposium held in La Rochelle, 21-24 April 1992. To access the remaining articles please click on the keyword "MSS Vol. 197".

The Working Group on the Governance of Quality Management of Data and Advice (WGQuality) supports the ICES aim of creating an end-to-end quality assurance framework for advice production - from data management, data integration, data analysis, and data use, to the process of translating that data into ICES advice. In this report, WGQuality analyse existing ICES quality management processes within advice production in the context of an international quality standard (ISO 9001:2015). A draft of a quality manual that follows this standard is presented. Where it was found that a requirement of the standard could not be currently fulfilled, it is identified as a gap, and proposed procedures to fill these gaps are presented. Data quality tools proposed by the ICES Planning Group on Data Needs for Assessment and Advice (PGDATA) are also evaluated and, where possible, progressed towards an operational state. The next steps required to implement a quality management system are proposed.

The Workshop on Cod and Future Climate Change (WKCFCC) was held on 17–20 June 2008 in Copenhagen, Denmark, at the ICES headquarters. It was sponsored by the ICES/GLOBEC Working Group on Cod and Climate Change (WGCCC) with objectives to develop scenarios for cod over the next 20–50 years given anthropogenic climate change. The idea was to take regional future climate scenarios over this same time period and using the knowledge gained by the WGCCC and other researchers on the impact of climate on cod to develop future scenarios for cod, taking into account not only the direct effects on cod but also consider the possible influence on cod of climate effects on their prey (including zooplankton), predators and competitors. The workshop was informed of the problems with developing regional models downscaled from Global Circulation Models (GCMs). The few such models that do exist have usually not used the most recent IPCC model runs (2007) but rather are based on earlier IPCC GCMs. One regional model for the North Sea that was down‐scaled from a recent IPCC model found the GCM chosen was not doing an adequate job of reproducing the present climate for the region and thus the future scenarios are highly suspect. The conclusion of that study was that one should develop regional models by downscaling from several GCMs and that these should be chosen based on their ability to reproduce the current climate. However, many of the IPCC 2007 model results for the current climate also demonstrate large differences with observations especially on a regional basis. Also the GCMs are respectively not able to repro‐duce or not reproduced well the two major modes of variability over the last century respectively, the Atlantic Multidecadal Oscillation (AMO) and the North Atlantic Oscillation (NAO). Thus, the conclusion of the workshop is that the available global and regional climate models are not currently adequate for impact studies on the ma‐rine ecosystem. Without the development of regional climate model systems and the development of adequate downscaling strategies it was not possible to go on to im‐plement coupled biological models of lower trophic level dynamics and its consequences for cod population for the next 20–50 years. A considerable scientific effort will be required to design, initialize, run and test regional models which produce output that is relevant to impact studies. Until this is done the impact assessments will have to be based on “what if” scenarios. On an encouraging note, however, models that assimilate recent climate data (and include the decadal modes) demon‐strate useful forecasting skill, at least over periods of a few years. Several “what if” scenarios were presented at the Workshop. Baltic Sea studies using statistical (multivariate autoregressive) models to assess the possible effects of cod under plausible climate scenarios have been carried out. These studies have also combined climate changes with different fishing mortality rates to explore the combined role of management and climate on cod. Results suggest that given even a rela‐tively weak decrease in salinity (>3 psu), which would impair recruitment of Baltic cod through increased egg and larvae mortality, only a drastic decrease in fishing mortality could avoid future stock collapses and ensure the existence of Baltic cod for future generations to come. Such models combining the effects of fishing and climate to determine the impacts on cod and other species are encouraging. The results of a non‐spatial model that includes temperature, zooplankton, prey and predators sug‐gest raising the temperature in the Barents Sea by 1–4°C will lead to increased cod growth, increase cod production and decrease maturation rates. On the other hand, cod cannibalism is expected to increase as well. In another study exploring the general effect of temperature on cod stocks, it was found that a 30% reduction in the car‐rying capacity of warm water stocks is expected with a 3°C rise in temperature. Other likely impacts on cod under future warming scenarios include a general northward shift in distribution, an increase in growth, and an increase in production in northern regions and a decline in southern regions. Fishing pressure will play an important role in determining the rates of change of the cod populations. On the other hand, fisheries management must evaluate the climate effects and models have and are con‐tinuing to being developed that allow such combined effects of climate and fishing to be addressed. Future work should include: in the immediate future to extend the “what if” studies to develop future cod scenarios; in the longer term encourage improvements in GCMs, especially through conveying to the modellers what the needs of the impacts community are; develop regional models of future climate in those areas inhabited by cod using downscaling of results from several GCMs that are able to reasonably represent local present climate conditions; use the results of such models to force re‐gional biophysical models to develop scenarios of phytoplankton and zooplankton under future climate; apply the results of both the ocean climate and lower trophic impacts to effects on cod; to develop models that include the higher trophic levels, especially cod; and to explore the combined effects of climate and fishing in order to determine better management strategies under climate change.

Table of contents for Rapport et Proces-Verbaux des Reunions Vol. 9. To see the articles in this volume, please click on the keyword "RPVR Vol. 9". Publication in German.

Species of the genus Paracalanus Boeck, 1864 have been reported as abundant and often dominant in coastal to oceanic waters from temperate and tropical regions. They inhabit mainly the epipelagic zone (0–200m) and as small filter feeders (Benedetti et al., 2018) they represent an important link in marine food webs. Total length of the species ranges from 0.5 to 1.5 mm. In the ICES region, seven of the twelve Paracalanus accepted species are recorded: P. aculeatus, P. denudatus, P. indicus, P. nanus, P. parvus, P. pygmaeus and P. quasimodo. A taxonomic key of the Paracalanidae family is presented, allowing Paracalanus genus distinction. ICES Identification Leaflet for Plankton No. 35 (Farran, revised by Vervoort, 1951) provided information on and description of three Paracalanus species. This new leaflet is an update and revision of the original, based on the following: a) recent molecular studies (Cornils and Held, 2014; Hidaka et al., 2016; Kasapidis et al., 2018); b) books by Bradford-Grieve (1994), Bradford-Grieve et al. (1999), Vives and Shmeleva (2007), and Soh et al. (2013); and c) information provided by the website on marine planktonic copepods by Razouls et al.(2005–2022). The leaflet presents the geographical distribution and a key to differentiate the twelve Paracalanus species. Possible confusions during identification are also discussed.

With the extension of the fisheries jurisdiction to 200 miles in 1975, Iceland introduced new measures to protect young juvenile fish. The mesh size in trawls was increased from 120 mm to 155 mm in 1977. Only in the fisheries for redfish was 135 mm mesh size allowed in certain areas. In addition a system was implemented whereby fishing can be forbidden immediately in areas where the number of small fish in the catches exceeds a certain percentage (25% < 55 cm for cod and saithe and 25% < 48 cm for haddock). These areas are usually been closed for two weeks and can be extended in time and space if necessary.

The ICES Scallop Assessment Working Group (WGScallop) discusses scallop surveys, stock assessment methodologies, advances in technology, scallop aging procedures, and recent studies on scallop species to develop and improve stock assessment methods. The group welcomed four new members this year and spent time discussing diversity and inclusion to ensure that we are doing everything possible to make this working group accessible and welcoming. This WG will continue to work with ICES to ensure that progress continues, and we are very pleased that we have several PhD students who participated in the meeting. Several group members contributed to the review paper, “A global review of catch efficiencies of towed fishing gears targeting scallops” being published in “Reviews in Fisheries Science and Aquaculture”. This paper provides an in-depth review and discussion of the factors which influence catch efficiency, relating the considerable variation in the catch efficiency estimates (0.1 to 0.7) to scallop size and substrate type as the two most important factors. Work on progressing a stock assessment for the Irish Sea included five intersessional subgroup meetings which involved members of the Working Group on Operational Oceanographic products for Fisheries and Environment (WGOOFE). Members of WGScallop have been using available Vessel Monitoring Systems (VMS) data and logbooks to consider various models (Vector Autoregressive Spatial-Temporal Model (VAST) and SPict) and standardized survey indices. A stock annex has been drafted for king scallops in the Irish Sea. Surveys continue to be integral for many of the institutes and the WG discussed the possibility of staff exchanges between surveys and have also agreed to hold an intersessional meeting to discuss survey design and related common issues. This was the third year of submitting a data call and there continues to be issues with the data quality. ICES Secretariat presented an overview of the Regional Database Estimation System (RDBES) and the group have agreed to use this framework. There will be a period of overlap and intersessional work will include a comparison between the datasets (WGScallop data call and RDBES). Work continues on scallop stock connectivity, larval dispersal and genetics, and the WG were given a presentation from the Stock Identification Methods Working Group (SIMWG). The WG will continue to discuss options for mapping of VMS data and aim to draft a paper which will address the issues previously reported. The WG continues to work alongside the Workshop on Scallop Aging (WKSA) and are pleased that a workshop will be held in 2023. The WG discussed the ToR, identified leads for each and agreed to further discuss the two interrelated ToR (B and C) considering options for combining work areas.

Changes in the structure of fish communities of the Cantabrian Sea Shelf are analysed using information from bottom-trawl surveys carried out every autumn during the period 1990-1999. The trend of ecological indices (species richness and diversity) has been less stable in the shallowest strata during the decade. The effect of environmental variables on the fish communities is explained by interset correlation of canonical axis of canonical correspondence analysis (CCA) with the abiotic variables considered (depth, near-bottom temperature, near-bottom salinity, longitude, and geographic stratum) to determine the assemblages of fishes each year. Interannual variations in the structure of the communities are analysed using multitable methods. In contrast to adjacent areas, the narrowest surface of the Cantabrian Sea Shelf produces strong environmental gradients over a short distance. Depth is the most influential and stable factor determining the assemblages observed. The coastal, outer shelf, and shelf-break communities are the strongest sources of variation, both intra-annual and interannual. Using time-series of indices of the main hydrographic driving agents, Navidad current, and upwelling, we try to discover the causes of the instability of spatial structure of assemblages not explained by the abiotic variables considered in the analyses. Article from Marine Science Symposia Vol. 219 - "Hydrobiological variability in the ICES Area, 1990-1999", symposium held in Edinburgh, 8-10 August 2001. To access the remaining articles please click on the keyword "MSS Vol. 219".

In my view, a certain answer to the question— “Should fishing of a stock of fish be increased or decreased?”—can be obtained only by adequate estimates of recruitment, natural mortality, mortality by fishing and growth rate: that is, estimates of all the vital rates. Until those are obtained the problem is not solved. The necessary estimates are not available at present for either the Icelandic stock of cod or the Arcto-Norwegian stock. This publication is part of Rapport et Proces-Verbaux des Reunions Vol. 136, which includes all contributions to a special scientific meeting on cod. To see all other articles in this volume, please click on the keyword "RPVR Vol. 136".

A key factor for the survival of fish larvae is the availability of prey (nauplii and copepodites) at the right time, place, and quality. This depends on several physical and biological processes and factors which can be studied theoretically by means of coupled physical-biological models with a stage-resolving zooplankton component. This study is based on an advanced ecosystem model of the Baltic Sea (ERGOM) with an increased resolution of the zooplankton stage variable. The model zooplankton consists of five stages: eggs, nauplii, two aggregated groups of copepodites, and adults. Food availability and temperature control the transfer processes, such as reproduction, hatching, and moulting. A simulation of the annual cycle is used to explore theoretically the temporal and spatial development of the various stages in relation to the physical forcing and the food web interactions. The dynamic equations for the “model copepod" were guided by Pseudocalanus', however, the model amounts to a stage-resolving description of aggregated zooplankton state variables. The effects and implications of increased process resolution are highlighted by comparisons of stage-resolving model runs and simulations with a single bulk-zooplankton variable. Article from Marine Science Symposia Vol. 219 - "Hydrobiological variability in the ICES Area, 1990-1999", symposium held in Edinburgh, 8-10 August 2001. To access the remaining articles please click on the keyword "MSS Vol. 219".

On its western side, the Bay of Biscay is located at the limit between the North Atlan­tic sub-polar and subtropical gyres, while the eastern and southern sides are bounded by land with a large continental shelf to the east and a narrow one to the south. The sharp continental slope results in a separation between hydrological processes taking place on and off the shelf. On the shelf, mesoscale hydrodynamic features, such as coastal upwellings, river plumes, and freshwater lenses, mostly depend upon regional climate forcing rather than upon the general oceanic circulation. Here, we review how three key regional climate and hydrological forcing factors (sea surface temperature, windspeed and river run-off) have varied during the past decade in comparison with multi-decadal historical records. The 1990s were characterized by warmer temperature and windier conditions than during the previous century, while the river run-off is slightly lower than average and highly variable. The Bay of Biscay lies between two regions where the responses to the North Atlantic Oscillation are opposite, and, as a result, it is expected that the NAO would only account for a very small fraction of the variability observed in temperature, windspeed, and river run-off in this region. Our results confirm this hypothesis.Description not yet available. Article from Marine Science Symposia Vol. 219 - "Hydrobiological variability in the ICES Area, 1990-1999", symposium held in Edinburgh, 8-10 August 2001. To access the remaining articles please click on the keyword "MSS Vol. 219".

The available data are insufficient to determine the total amount - or percentage - of cold water coral or deep sea sponge habitats impacted by fishing in the past decade, although some information exists on locations where large catches have occurred (>100kg of corals or >1000kg of sponges). Recovery rates are highly variable among species and across sites. Possibilities for re-colonisation of impacted sites are poorly understood and depend on the degree of impact (e.g. whether any live fragments remain), seabed substrate, larval dispersal, and other factors.

ACFM reported in 1998 that the state of the stock was uncertain because indicators of stock status provide conflicting signals and because the catch data are unreliable. The available indicators suggested that the increased catches estimated for 1997 had resulted in an increase in fishing mortality which was unlikely to be sustainable. In consequence, ACFM recommended that catches in 1999 should not exceed the average catch of the 1991-1996 period, which was about 28,000t. The agreed TAC for 1999 is 68,000 t compared with a TAC in 1998 of 80,370 t. There are no explicit management objectives for this stock, and because of uncertainties about the historical catch data, the size of the biomass and about estimates of recruitment and fishing mortality, no biological reference points have been proposed for this stock.

The occurrence of coastal upwelling along the southern Bay of Biscay in response to easterly winds shows clear seasonal variability, with peak development centred during the spring and summer. The historical series (1993-2000) of autumn temperatures has allowed identification of different patterns of upwelling. One of the main conclusions deals with the non-permanent character of the upwelling fringe along the Galicia-Cantabrian coast. This feature is related to the magnitude, time-span and synoptic occurrence of the winds. The occurrence of westerly winds pushes warm waters onto the coastal regions and leads to a reversal of the current pattern over the continental shelf. This may affect the survival of fish recruits via reduced primary production and its subsequent affect on zooplankton. Article from Marine Science Symposia Vol. 219 - "Hydrobiological variability in the ICES Area, 1990-1999", symposium held in Edinburgh, 8-10 August 2001. To access the remaining articles please click on the keyword "MSS Vol. 219".

Report on ICES sponsored symposia held in 2021: International Symposium on Plastics in the Arctic and Sub-Arctic Region; held 2–4 and 8–9 March 2021 online. World Fisheries Congress 2021; held 20–24 September 2021, online and in Adelaide, Australia. Baltic Sea Science Congress (BSSC2021), held 18–22 October 2021, in Århus, Denmark.

Time-series of temperature and salinity from Ocean Weather Station M are analysed for periodic cycles of interannual to decadal scale. Time evolutions of the spectra show various spectral peaks at all depths, but none of these cycles show persistence throughout the 50 years. In addition, isopycnal surfaces and temperature and salinity values on these surfaces are estimated and studied in terms of the relative influence of horizontal advection and vertical movement on the observed changes of water properties. Article from Marine Science Symposia Vol. 219 - "Hydrobiological variability in the ICES Area, 1990-1999", symposium held in Edinburgh, 8-10 August 2001. To access the remaining articles please click on the keyword "MSS Vol. 219".

Age, length, and growth studies, and tagging experiments etc. undertaken on cod in Norwegian and Arctic waters have shown th a t there are many reasons for regarding the cod of the Barents Sea, and the spawning cod which every year appear on the Lofoten banks, as belonging to one population, the Arcto-Norwegian stock, or shorter, the arctic cod. This publication is part of Rapport et Proces-Verbaux des Reunions Vol. 136, which includes all contributions to a special scientific meeting on cod. To see all other articles in this volume, please click on the keyword "RPVR Vol. 136".

The Workshop on Pilot North Sea Fisheries Independent Regional Monitoring Group (WKPilot NS-FIRMOG) focused on the feasibility of a regional group dealing with fishery independent information, supporting the stock assessments as well as integrated ecosystem assessments. It was concluded that the acronym FiRMOG was unclear and does not represent its scope on the longer term, therefore the acronym NETSEA (Network for surveys towards ecosystem advice) is proposed. For the North Sea the group will be named NS-NETSEA. The group identified the added value of NS-NETSEA from three perspectives: from the data collection (survey), the ecosystem assessment as well as the single stock assessment viewpoint. Two case studies were conducted, and an inventory of past and current initiatives (workshops, groups) has been created. Separation between short to medium term (year 1-5) and longer term (year 6-10) is necessary to let the NETSEA concept grow. The first crucial element for success is representation of relevant data providers and end-users. It is proposed that a core group of NS-NETSEA is formed, where in the short to medium term the survey groups as well as the ecosystem assessment group involved in the region are represented. On the longer term, the core group composition will shift towards end-users. The core group is responsible for the continuity of work within the year, the connection with previous work, and for the organisation of the annual NS-NETSEA meeting. Secondly, the positioning of the group in the ICES structure is key. The regional approach combined with integration of data collection and use differs from regular working groups. This should become visible in the positioning of NETSEAs within ICES. Although an increase of workload may appear on the short term, the additional effort should directly lead to added value on a regional scale. On the longer term, it is foreseen that installation of a NETSEA will lead to different task allocation in survey, ecosystem assessment and/or stock assessment groups.

The main results of the hydrographic conditions in Icelandic waters in the 1990s reveal the same variability from year to year observed since the 1950s, including Atlantic, Polar, and Arctic periods in North Icelandic waters. Attention is paid to the hydro- graphic conditions in the warm water from the south (Inninger Current) which developed at the end of the 1990s into high saline conditions comparable with the period prior to the 1960s. This includes the northern component flowing into North Icelandic waters. The conditions in the East Icelandic Current also improved at the end of the 1990s with relatively high salinities. Thus the hydrobiological conditions in Icelandic waters were favourable at the end of the 1990s with regard to the various fish stocks. Article from Marine Science Symposia Vol. 219 - "Hydrobiological variability in the ICES Area, 1990-1999", symposium held in Edinburgh, 8-10 August 2001. To access the remaining articles please click on the keyword "MSS Vol. 219".

Report on ICES sponsored symposia held in 2010: ICES/PICES/FAO Symposium on "Climate Change Effects on Fish and Fisheries: Forecasting Impacts, Assessing Ecosystem Responses, and Evaluating Management Strategies"; held 26–29 April 2010, in Sendai, Japan. ICES/DHI/NOAA Third International Symposium on "Research and Management of Eutrophication in Coastal Ecosystems"; held 15–18 June 2010, in Nyborg, Denmark. ICES Symposium on "Making the Most of Fisheries Information: Underpinning Policy, Management and Science"; held 23–26 August 2010, in Galway, Ireland. 26th Lowell Wakefield Symposium on "Ecosystems 2010: Global Progress on Ecosystem-based Fisheries Management"; held 8–11 November 2010, in Anchorage, Alaska, USA.

Atlantic cod (Gadus morhua) stocks respond to long-term climate changes, such as the warming of the North Atlantic during the 1920s and 1930s, when cod increased rapidly in abundance off West Greenland and spread far to the north. At the same time there was increased recruitment at Iceland and increased abundance and northward expansion in the Barents Sea. By the time that the waters at West Greenland cooled in the late 1960s, the cod stock biomass had declined greatly from its peak in 1949. Both climate and the fishery contributed to the subsequent collapse of the stock, but it is not possible to make a quantitative attribution and the factors interact. In this and other cases the effective environmental factors include plankton production and other ecosystem effects. These factors often co-vary with temperature change, making it difficult to separate them from direct effects of temperature on growth, survival and recruitment. Cod have been subjected to changes in climate and fishing intensity for centuries, but detailed information on declines and recoveries comes mainly from the past 30–40 years, which is a short time span relative to many natural phenomena. All stocks, with the exception of the Celtic Sea, have suffered prolonged periods of decline since 1970. Comparison between NW and NE Atlantic stocks reveals two major differences: (i) most NW Atlantic stocks share a pattern of increase and decline in biomass, whereas the NE Atlantic stocks do not, and (ii) although fishing mortality is generally higher on NE than on the NW Atlantic cod stocks, the declines in biomass were much greater in the NW Atlantic than in the NE. Directed fishing was halted during the early 1990s for all NW Atlantic shelf stocks from the eastern Scotian Shelf northward. All these stocks have since been characterized by low productivity, and several have shown no sign of recovery after more than a decade without directed fishing. The NW Atlantic stocks from the eastern Scotian Shelf northward inhabit areas with average temperatures below 4oC and in all of them the mean weight-at-age began a period of decline before the biomass declined. The NE Atlantic stocks all inhabit areas with average temperatures above 4oC and showed less variability in mean weight-at-age. Both fishing and climate are implicated in the declines in cod stock biomass since 1970. In the NW Atlantic the fishing mortality increased until moratoria were imposed in the early 1990s. The decline in biomass was caused by fishing, but changes in the productivity of the stocks contributed to the collapse and there is good evidence that the decline in biomass also caused fishing mortality to increase. Fisheries management must be sensitive to possible changes in stock productivity and must either respond quickly, to prevent increased mortality and further stock decline, or regulate fishing in a precautionary way, which is robust to uncertainties about stock productivity. Changes in weight-at-age are an important component of the variation in productivity of coldwater cod stocks. Variation in weight-at-age appears to be mainly due to changes in the environment. In the S. Gulf of St. Lawrence density-dependent growth and changes in the direction of size selective fishing mortality appear to be the most important factors and here size-at-age has remained low despite good conditions for growth and low fishing mortality. Age and size at maturity have declined in many stocks and there appears to be a genetic component to this change, in response to fishing (where it has been investigated – Arcto-Norwegian cod, S. Labrador, S. Gulf of St Lawrence). Early maturity gives a selective advantage under most high mortality regimes, but reduces population productivity if fishing mortality is reduced. The reversion to older ages and larger sizes at maturity will be slow if additive genetic variance has been depleted. The risk of stock collapse increases when stock productivity declines. Some of the life-history characteristics (growth and maturation in particular) governing productivity can be monitored by sampling commercial and research catches and may give timely indications of changes in productivity and risk of collapse. In order to develop their routine use in assessing risk of collapse under different fisheries management strategies, indicators of possible change in productivity (weight-at-age, condition, liver index, maturation reaction norms) should be investigated using tropho-dynamic, life history and risk assessment models. Mean age and age diversity of spawners (and SSB) declined in many stocks in response to fishing. In many (but not all) stocks, this has resulted in a decline in recruitment rate. In Arcto-Norwegian and Icelandic cod resilience to climate change has been shown to decrease as mean age of spawners declined. For all cod stocks, the kinds of prey and their abundance and availability vary over time. The boreal ecosystems and the Baltic Sea tend to have a narrower field of potential prey than the more southern ecosystems, and changes in the abundance or distribution of major forage species (e.g. capelin, herring) might cause food shortages for cod. This could lead to declines in condition and consequent reductions in reproductive output and even survival. Declines in prey availability have been implicated in declines in cod productivity that have lasted from one to several years, but such variability in prey has seldom been implicated as a major factor in cod stock declines. There have been suggestions that low abundance of prey may be impeding stock recovery in some areas, such as the offshore of eastern Newfoundland. When cod stocks decline to very low abundance, the relative importance of factors governing dynamics and productivity can change. When a stock is relatively large, it may be able to sustain predation and maintain itself at relatively high abundance even when subjected to a fishery. However, if the stock has declined in abundance, for whatever reason, and predator populations have not declined, or may even have increased, then high predation mortality may impede or prevent recovery. Such impacts may occur via predation by pelagic fish on eggs and larvae of cod, as has been hypothesized for cod in the Baltic Sea, on the eastern Scotian Shelf and in the southern Gulf of St. Lawrence. It may also occur via predation on juvenile cod and perhaps even adult cod by larger predators such as seals, as has been hypothesized for the eastern Scotian Shelf, the southern and northern Gulf of St. Lawrence, and eastern Newfoundland. In some stocks e.g. southern Gulf of St Lawrence, high natural mortality has replaced high fishing mortality, preventing recovery even when fishing pressure is low. No substantial increase in the biomass of Baltic cod can be expected without a change in environmental conditions favouring better recruitment (even at FPA, which is 65% of the current fishing mortality). A general conclusion from the experience off eastern Canada is that humans may have limited ability to “rebuild” cod stocks that have declined to very low levels. Simply turning off directed fishing may be insufficient to promote recovery. The properties of the stocks themselves and the state of the ecosystems in which the cod are embedded may be such that the stocks remain constrained to their new levels of low abundance for a considerable time.

Report presented to the Fisheries Improvement Committee of ICES, 1977, by P. G. W. Jones of MAFF Fisheries Radiobiological Laboratory, Lowestoft, Suffolk, UK.

Time-series of salinity and temperature from the waters around Sweden have been constructed for the period 1960-2000. These show indications of long-term variations, especially for the surface salinity in the Baltic Proper. Article from Marine Science Symposia Vol. 219 - "Hydrobiological variability in the ICES Area, 1990-1999", symposium held in Edinburgh, 8-10 August 2001. To access the remaining articles please click on the keyword "MSS Vol. 219".

The Denmark Strait overflow water derives from several distinct sources. Arctic Intermediate Water from the Iceland Sea, Atlantic Water of the West Spitsbergen Current recirculating in the Fram Strait, and Arctic Atlantic Water returning from the different circulation loops in the Arctic Ocean all take part in the overflow. Denser water masses, such as the upper Polar Deep Water and the Canadian Basin Deep Water from the Arctic Ocean and Arctic Intermediate Water from the Greenland Sea, are occasionally present at the sill and could contribute the deepest part of the overflow plume. A comparison between hydrographic observations made during the Greenland Sea Project in the late 1980s and early 1990s and during the European Sub Polar Ocean Programme (ESOP) and Variability of Exchanges in the Northern Seas (VEINS) programmes in the late 1990s shows that the Greenland Sea Arctic Intermediate Water has largely replaced the Arctic Ocean deep waters. In the less dense fraction of the overflow the Recirculating Atlantic Water and Arctic Atlantic Water carried by the East Greenland Current have become more prominent than the Iceland Sea Arctic Intermediate Water. If the Denmark Strait overflow were to switch between different sources, it would lead to changes in the characteristics of the overflow water that add to the variations caused by the variability of the source waters. Article from Marine Science Symposia Vol. 219 - "Hydrobiological variability in the ICES Area, 1990-1999", symposium held in Edinburgh, 8-10 August 2001. To access the remaining articles please click on the keyword "MSS Vol. 219".

List of illustrations for Rapport et Proces-Verbaux des Reunions Vol. 8. To see all other articles in this volume, please click on the keyword "RPVR Vol. 8"

Report on ICES sponsored symposia held in 2007: ICES Fifth International Conference on Marine Bioinvasions; held 21–24 May 2007, in Cambridge, Massachusetts, USA. ICES/PICES/GLOBEC Symposium “The 4th International Zooplankton Production Symposium"; held 28 May–1 June 2007, in Hiroshima, Japan. International Symposium on Integrated Coastal Zone Management; held 11–14 June 2007, in Arendal, Norway. Early Career Scientists Conference (ECSC); held 25–29 July 2007, in Baltimore MD, USA. Symposium on MPAs as a Tool for Fisheries Management and Conservation; held 25–28 September 2007, in Murcia, Spain. Symposium on Reproductive and Recruitment Processes of Exploited Marine Fish Stocks; held 1–3 October 2007, in Lisbon, Portugal. ICES Symposium on Environmental Indicators: Utility in Meeting Regulatory Needs; held 20–23 November 2007, in London, UK.

The Working Group on Surveys on Ichthyoplankton in the North Sea and adjacent Seas (WGSINS) coordinates several surveys on fish early life stages in the North Sea, Irish Sea and Baltic undertaken for assessment and management purposes. The objectives of WGSINS include review and coordination of these surveys, quality assurance on survey methodology, species identification and provided data and indices, preparation of data for archival as well as identifi-cation of additional objectives that can be achieved by the surveys. The International herring larvae surveys in the North Sea (IHLS) revealed higher larval abun-dances around the Orkneys, lower abundances in the Buchan and Banks area and large numbers of Downs larvae. The 2022 North Sea Midwater Ring Net survey (MIK) was faced with numerous challenges (weather, Covid-19 and technical issues) resulting in poor coverage, but data tests showed that the herring 0-ringer index was still reliable, although one of the lowest in the time series. The Downs recruitment survey (DRS) in April 2022 showed comparable numbers and spatial distribution of herring larvae as in 2021. As sampling should only be done at night, additional survey participation is required. A WGSINS sub-group is planned for 2023 to discuss the way forward with the DRS survey and index calculations. The Northern Irish Northeastern Larvae survey (NINEL) in November 2021 showed similar spa-tial distributions as in previous years and relatively high larval abundances. The 2022 Northern Ireland MIK survey (NI-MIK), targeting different juvenile gadoids, was af-fected by a change in survey timing and mechanical issues. No juvenile cod were caught and catches of haddock and whiting were low. The N20 recruitment index of the 2021 Rügen herring larvae survey (RHLS) was more than 10 times higher than the record low value in 2020 and the highest value since 2015, but still below the long-term average. The Baltic Ichthyoplankton Surveys (BIS) are a series of several individual surveys, providing an SSB estimate and a recruitment index for Eastern Baltic cod. Sample analyses for 2022 are still ongoing, but preliminary data indicate that SSB remains at a similarly low level as in 2018-2021. In addition to the surveys and target species/stocks mentioned above, WGSINS provides a forum to present and discuss additional work conducted on these surveys and on other, dedicated pilot surveys. A pilot survey aiming to establish a larval recruitment index for North Sea sprat showed promising results but broader area coverage would be an advantage. Another pilot study on recently hatched sandeel larvae analyzed spawning areas and larval drift in the North Sea, which may help to re-define management areas. Apart from the data needed for the original survey objectives, ichthyoplankton surveys can pro-vide additional information and data products, e.g. on eggs and larvae of non-target species and other organisms like jellyfish and zooplankton as well as marine litter. WGSINS will continue to collect and archive this information which is underrepresented in traditional fishery survey da-tasets and may thus contribute to the implementation of an ecosystem approach to fisheries man-agement.

The genus Sebastes is very common and widely distributed in the North Atlantic. It is found off the coast of Britain, along Norway in the Barents Sea and Spitzbergen, off the Faroe Islands, Iceland, East - Greenland, West - Greenland, and along the east coast of North America from Baffin Island South to Cape Cod (Magnússon and Magnússon, 1995). All Sebastes species are viviparous. The extrusion of the larvae takes place in late winter - late spring/early summer but copulation occurs in autumn-early winter.