Report of the Planning Group for Herring Surveys (PGHERS)

TERMS OF REFERENCE According to C. Res. 2002/2G02 the Planning Group for Herring Surveys [PGHERS] (Chair: P.G. Fernandes, UK) met in Aberdeen, UK, from 21 -24 January 2003 to:a) combine the 2002 survey data to provide indices of abundance for the population within the area;b) consider a re-allocation of effort by participating countries in the acoustic survey of the North Sea and adjacent waters in 2003;c) co-ordinate the timing, area allocation and methodologies for acoustic and larvae surveys for herring and sprat in the North Sea, Division VIa and IIIa and Western Baltic in 2003;d) evaluate the outcome of a maturity staging workshop with a view to harmonising the determination of maturity in herring and sprat;e) evaluate investigations on the effect of time of day on the allocation of herring to acoustic data;f) develop protocols and criteria to ensure standardization of all sampling tools and survey gears.