SISP 6 - Manual for the mackerel and horse mackerel egg surveys (MEGS): sampling at sea. Version 1.3

The Working Group on Mackerel and Horse Mackerel Egg Surveys coordinates the Mackerel and Horse Mackerel Egg Survey in the Northeast Atlantic and the Mackerel Egg Survey in the North Sea, both carried out triennially. Both surveys provide indices for the strength of the SSB of the both the western and North Sea stocks of Atlantic mackerel (Scomber scombrus) and a relative abundance index of horse mackerel (Trachurus trachurus) spawning stocks in the Northeast Atlantic. This manual incorporates the current protocols (together with recent changes) for the collection and analysis of adult fish parameters required for the AEPM method.