Report of the Working Group on Mackerel and Horse Mackerel Egg Surveys [WGMEGS]

The Working Group on Mackerel and Horse Mackerel Egg Surveys (WGMEGS) is primarily responsible for the planning and analysis of the ICES Triennial mackerel and horse mackerel egg surveys. The meetings are held in the years before and after the surveys themselves. As 2004 was an egg survey year, the WG carried out its activities by correspondence. The terms of reference for 2004 and the outcomes were as follows:a) plan for a joint meeting with the Study Group on the Estimation of Spawning Stock Biomass of Sardine and Anchovy SGSBSA on variance calculation and survey design; Due to the constraints of the survey and availability of individuals, no meeting was possible this year. Contact and outline planning will be maintained.b) consider the results of the Lowestoft workshop (October 2003) on mackerel and horse mackerel egg staging and identification and incorporate these into the 2004 survey. The workshop made a number of recommendations on methods of sample handling, preservation and analysis, as well as recommendations for future workshops. The recommendations are detailed in the present report and the actions taken on these. In general all the recommendations were accepted and employed on the surveys in 2004c) fine-tune survey execution in 2004. Although the broad planning of the 2004 surveys was carried out at the 2003 meeting of the WG, the detailed conduct required co-ordination in year. Most importantly this involved ensuring that the coverage, in time and space, was as complete as possible with the vessel resources available. A second consideration was to be able to respond to perceived changes in spawning distribution seen in earlier surveys in the sequence. The surveys in Iberian waters proceeded as planned. Some modifications were made to the surveys in the western area, and these are documented in an Annex document. Further fine scale changes were also made throughout the survey, coordinated through the Chair.The next meeting of WGMEGS will be held in Bergen, Norway in April 2004.