Thünen: Operational observation systems

Institute of

SF Sea Fisheries

Ongoing projects - Operational observation systems

A physical-statistical model of hydrography for fishery and ecology studies (AHOI)

AHOI (Adjusted Hydrography Optimal Interpolation) is a simple physical-statistical model developed in the working group 'Operational Observation Systems' of the Thünen Institute of Sea Fisheries to produce monthly gridded in situ hydrography through various decades. Special care is given to a high vertical resolution, in order to yield a good representation of the near-seabed hydrography due to its importance for marine ecosystems. As a case study we produced monthly maps of temperature and salinity in the North Sea from 1948 to 2013. This study has been published in Journal of Marine ...

Development of physical measurement methods for non-invasive in-situ detection of plankton and fish

Within the scope of this project, hydroacoustic and optical instruments and methods will be used jointly and further developed to enable the continuous, automated, hogh-resolution and non-invasive recording of marine organisms in their natural environment. Furthermore, we aim to extend the understanding of the functional relationships of organisms of different trophic levels (e.g. fish and zooplankton) as well as potential behavioural patterns such as the vertical migration of individual species.

Hydroacoustics - Methods, Applications, Development

Hydroacoustic methods utilize sound waves to detect marine organisms. Modern echosounders can not only be used to determine stock parameters but also allow identification of habitat use, species composition and further parameters of marine ecosystems.

Migration behaviour of tope (HTTP)

It is the largest shark found permanently in German waters and is globally classified as "critically endangered": the tope. Tagging experiments with satellite transmitters in the North Sea will provide information on the migratory behaviour of the animals and thus allow a reliable assessment of the distribution of the sharks and their population development.

Monitoring concepts in protected areas: habitat use and migration patterns of bony fish, sharks and rays (NIKOFIN)

NIKOFIN aims to assess the fish communities in the North Sea from a nature conservation perspective. Particular attention is paid to species that are not commercially exploited and to habitats that can not be assessed using standard fish monitoring technology. Among other things, the project strives to record the habitat use and migration patterns of various bony fish and elasmobranch species in order to assess their respective habitats. This is intended to support conservation measures that contribute to the preservation of these habitats and their biodiversity. The project employs various ...

Oceanographic baseline monitoring: collection and provision of hydrographic data from the North Atlantic (OCEBASE)

The hydrographic conditions in the oceans, which signifcantly influence different fish habitats, vary over wide ranges of spatial and temporal scales based on a number of different physical processes. The Thünen Institute for Sea Fisheries conducts long-term observation programmes to regularly record and monitor the hydrographic parameters and make them available for further analyses.

Saithe Acoustics in the North Sea

Saithe (Pollachius virens) is a key species within the German fisheries. Uncertainties in the current stock assessment arise from insufficient catchability of saithe and possibly insufficient spatial resolution of fisheries independent surveys.

Studies on fish eggs and larvae

Knowledge on the strength of the recruiting year class of a fish stock is of tremendous importance for sustainable mangement. Successful reproduction and foraging of fry are of essential importance for the further development of the stock.

What are they? And how many are they?

Completed projects - Operational observation systems

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Enhancing Prediction of Tropical Atlantic Climate and its impacts (PREFACE)

Climate predictions in the tropical-subtropical Atlantic bear a high degree of uncertainty and even bias. Biological long-term data sets are used to support model evaluation and in turn, improved climate predictions are applied to improve forecasts for biological distribution and stock abundance models.

Establishment of a trilateral UFO network of mobile, portable and stationary units for an automatic, continuous, non-invasive monitoring of fish stocks in the Bay of Kiel (UFOTriNet)

In UFOTriNet, an intelligent underwater test network of innovative stationary and mobile UFO units is being developed with the aim of automatically and continuously monitoring the diversity and abundance of fish populations and their environment.

Hightech for fisheries research

The objective of the joint AutoMAt project is to either replace, complement or modernize part of the conventional data collection and analysis procedures in the fields of fisheries biology and ecology through inventing and implementing alternative, automated systems.

How does climate affect baby herring in the North Sea? (THRESHOLDS)

Climate variability and change directly and indirectly affect the distribution and productivity of marine fishes including commercially important fish species. Most of the alterations in productivity are thought to be driven by changes in growth and survival of the fish early life stages. We aim at a better mechanistic understanding of how bottom-up processes (e.g. temperature, prey) impact larval vital rates (e.g. survival, growth) by using North Sea herring as a case study.

Implications of climatic changes on fish stocks and fisheries off East Greenland (CLIMA)

The East Greenland ecosystem has been influenced by warming in the North Atlantic in recent years. As a consequence, there were distinct changes in the distribution and composition of the fish fauna in this area. The aim of this project is to investigate the functional relationships of climatic and biological changes and to estimate their impact on the fish stocks, fishing and fisheries management.

Synthesis of methods for assessing connectivity in a network of protected areas (CREATE)

In CREATE, we use so-called ‘living labs’ in the North and Baltic Seas, in which we develop concepts for sustainable use and protection together with stakeholders. In these model regions, the jointly defined approaches can be subjected to a practical test.

UFOs in the North Sea ... (AutoMAt)

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