Report of the Baltic Herring Age-Reading Study Group (BHARSG)

In 1999 Baltic Herring Age Reading Study Group is working by correspondence. In autumn 1998 it has started a new otolith exchange that is planned to finish in November 1999. In this exchange are participating 2 readers from Denmark, one from Sweden, two from Finland, three from Estonia, two from Latvia, one from Lithuania, Russia, Poland and Germany, in total 14 readers. All the countries have prepared their samples which cover Sub-divisions 24 to 32 in the Baltic Sea. It is planned to start a new exchange in autumn 1999 which will be slightly different from the previous ones. These samples will consist of two parts. The first part will include otoliths with age determination of the expert who has prepared the sample; the second part will be without age determination. Thus the age readers will give their comments in the cases when they disagree with the age determination of the expert. Hopefully it will increase the interaction between the readers. The Study Group will report on the results of the first exchange to Baltic Fisheries Assessment Working Group in April 2000.