In this study 34 fish species basically inhabiting the Baltic Sea and the adjacent brackish waters of Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania (Northeastern Germany) were examined (Tab. 1). The selection of the species was mainly founded on their abundance and importance in the region. For each species several individuals were studied, if possible from different size classes.

In order to get the bones the fishes were macerated approximately 20 hours at 60 °C using a 10 % solution of Biozym SE (COSMEDA, Inc.) (Bartels & Meyer 1991). One individual for each species was macerated with periodical observation. By picking off each bone seperately the bones could be named by its position. The bones then were preserved in 98 % anhydrous glycerine to build the reference collection.

Tab. 1 : List of the included species (n = 34)