European Ocean Biodiversity Information System

The ICES programme of international herring larval surveys in the North Sea and adjacent areas is in operation since 1967. The main purpose of this programme is to provide quantitative estimates of herring larval abundance, which are used as a relative index of changes of the herring spawning‐stock biomass in the assessment. The larvae surveys are carried out in specific periods and areas, following autumn and winter spawning activity of herring from north to south. Catch data together with specific information like haul position, survey area etc. are reported to the ICES International Herring Larvae database annually. The database contains information about the surveys conducted since 1972. The ICES responsible group for the dataset is WGIPS.