Duration: 23 February to 19 June 2026

Shipping area: Baltic Sea (Greifswalder Bodden, Strelasund)

Purpose: Rügen Herring Larval Survey

The Rügen Herring Larvae Survey has been monitoring the recruitment success of spring-spawning herring in the western Baltic Sea since 1977. As part of this long-term series, the occurrence and spatial distribution of the larvae of the "Rügen herring" will be recorded.

The aim of this survey is to obtain a current recruitment index from the data collected on larval distribution and abundance in the spawning grounds of Greifswalder Bodden/Strelasund. This provides information on the strength of the herring recruitment cohort in the western Baltic Sea and is used by the International Council for the Exploration of the Sea (ICES) to predict stock development.

Sampling involves weekly trips for standard sampling to quantitatively record herring larvae using plankton gear (bongo net) and a hydrographic probe. Due to technical problems with the ship, the investigations in 2026 will be limited to the core programme mentioned above.