Report on workshop on hake otolith age reading

European Fish Ageing Network Report 6-2000.

One of the objectives of the EC Study Contract No. 95/038 "Biological Studies of Demersal Fish (BIOSDEF) was to improve the North-eastern Atlantic hake (M. merluccius) growth knowledge (in the Northern and Southern stocks). For this purpose, among other tasks, an ageing workshop for hake from ICES Division VIIIc and IXa was planned to standardise the methodology used in the different Laboratories in order to achieve agreement in the age determination of hake among the countries involved in the exploitation of shared stocks. The present workshop try to evaluate the results of the otolith exchange started in 1995 between Portugal and Spain. Moreover, attempt to identify the differences in the age determination among readers and to agree ageing criteria based on the discussion on otolith interpretation among readers. The otolith exchange was later extended to more readers involved in hake Stock Assessment.