Mackerel Egg Survey, July 8th - 28th 2010

Abstract

Every three years the International Council for the Exploration of the Sea (ICES) coordinates a series of mackerel and horse mackerel egg surveys covering the eastern Atlantic from Gibraltar to the north coast of Scotland between January and July. The aim of this survey programme is to assess the northeastern Atlantic mackerel and horse mackerel stock. The Marine Institute participates in this programme and covers stations in the Celtic Sea and West of Ireland. Plankton samples were collected at 102 stations, and the eggs they contained were preserved in 4% buffered formaldehyde. Preliminary analysis shows that egg numbers were concentrated close to the shelf edge, around the 200m contour line. Ten fishing hauls were made to collect mackerel and horse mackerel samples for fecundity analysis. Samples were collected to ensure maximum temporal and geographical spread.