Integrating Spatial Processes into Ecosystem models for sustainable utilization of fish resources

ACRONYM
INSPIRE
Title
Integrating Spatial Processes into Ecosystem models for sustainable utilization of fish resources
General information
Process-based understanding of changes in fish distributions, especially in order to distinguish and quantify the role of natural drivers and anthropogenic impacts, is still an increasingly challenging research topic with high relevance to resource management. The overall objective of the project is to advance the knowledge base and develop quantitative measures to evaluate consequences of spatial and temporal heterogeneity in the Baltic Sea for an ecosystem-based management of the major fishery resources. The overarching tasks are to: 1) increase knowledge on the habitat requirements of different life stages of cod, herring, sprat and flounder, and identify conditions under which the connectivity between different life stages’ habitats is at risk, 2) account for processes shaping spatial and temporal heterogeneity of habitats and distributions of fish in an ecosystem-based management. The methods used will be a combination of dedicated field studies by involving fishermen, and process studies by means of multidisciplinary approaches, results of which will feed into fish stock assessment and ecosystem models made spatially explicit for the first time in the Baltic Sea. In addition to multidisciplinary science and high management relevance, the project also includes an extensive outreach component to ensure a wide dissemination of the results. Importantly, stakeholder involvement starts already at the data generation phase and continues till the end of the project.
Start
February, 2014
End
January, 2018
Funding (total)
3558000
Funding (GEOMAR)
220000
Funding body / Programme
    BMBF / EU / BONUS call 2012: viable ecosystem
Coordination
University of Tartu, Estonian Marine Institute (UT-EMI), Estonia
Contact