Inventory of Otolith Collections and Ageing Work on North East Atlantic Deep Water Fish Species

The result of a questionnaire sent to 38 institutes, indicate that a broad range of unpublished raw data exist on many of the deep water fish species in the north east Atlantic and Mediterranean. Of the 18 fish classified by ICES as 'primary' deep water species, one or more of the six Coryphaenoides rupestris, Mora moro, Aphanopus carbo, Hoplostethus atlanticus, Phycis blennoides, Helicolenus dactylopterus were common to most of the institutes which completed the questionnaire. Institutes which possessed some form of otolith or ageing data on these primary fish are grouped by species. A table of institutions which have some form of data on other deep water species (including sharks, rays and Chimaerids) is presented. A list of the main deep water species is given with their English, French, and Spanish common names. In general, there was a very positive response to the setting up of an otolith exchange scheme (by correspondence), as an initial approach to the convening of a deep water ageing workshop. The questionnaire did not provide any indications as to the extent or quality of the various data sets