Anchovy and Sardine Microincrement Daily Growth Exchange Results

The Planning Group on Commercial Catch, Discards and Biological Sampling (PGCCDBS) meeting in February 2012, identified anchovy and sardine as the species requiring confirmation of the micro increments daily growth interpretation and counting carried out by Fisheries Institutes. The planning group indicated that a workshop on anchovy and sardine should be organized in 2013.

Before the foreseen workshop on daily age reading (see below), it has been considered useful to plan an exchange programme of anchovy and sardines otolith images in order to ascertain the current level of precision among Institutes and the difficulties that the daily age reading of anchovy and sardine otoliths present.

To that purpose, an exchange programme of anchovy and sardine otoliths has been organized between June and September 2013 before the workshop on anchovy and sardine daily age determination (ICES WKMIAS) that will be held in Mazara del Vallo (Italy) on 21-25 October 2013.