Project Details
Description
The overall aim of this project is to provide future perspectives for development of the eastern Baltic cod stock, a key species in the Baltic Sea ecosystem and fisheries. Furthermore, the project aims to elucidate how the poor situation of the cod stock could possibly be improved by ecosystem based management measures.
To reach this goal, the first specific aim is to enhance the understanding of the factors responsible for the currently low productivity of the stock, including impacts of environmental conditions (oxygen, temperature), food availability for cod as well as the impacts of increased abundance of grey seals. Next specific aim with the project is to elucidate likely future developments in cod growth and recruitment production, considering also the expected climate change. Future stock status, and whether it can support sustainable fisheries is much dependent on incoming recruitment. Therefore, one of the aims here is to elucidate how the stock fecundity and egg quality and thereby future recruitment are impacted by the currently poor quality of the spawning fish as well as the environment.
The project aims also to contribute new understanding of the likely effects of possible management measures on the cod stock status. There include possible benefits to cod related to spatial regulation of pelagic fisheries. These effects will be seen in comparison with available evidence for other ecosystem and environmental drivers, to provide a broader perspective for the expected impacts for cod associated with different management interventions.
Finally, the project aims to provide overall comprehensive synthesis of the state-of the art scientific knowledge and evidence related to the cod stock situation, its drivers, and the most likely scenarios of stock developments in near future, and associated fishing opportunities.
Funding
The project is funded by the European Maritime and Fisheries Fund and the Danish Fisheries Agency.
Research area: Ecosystem based Marine Management
Research area: Fish Biology
Research area: Marine Populations and Ecosystem Dynamics
To reach this goal, the first specific aim is to enhance the understanding of the factors responsible for the currently low productivity of the stock, including impacts of environmental conditions (oxygen, temperature), food availability for cod as well as the impacts of increased abundance of grey seals. Next specific aim with the project is to elucidate likely future developments in cod growth and recruitment production, considering also the expected climate change. Future stock status, and whether it can support sustainable fisheries is much dependent on incoming recruitment. Therefore, one of the aims here is to elucidate how the stock fecundity and egg quality and thereby future recruitment are impacted by the currently poor quality of the spawning fish as well as the environment.
The project aims also to contribute new understanding of the likely effects of possible management measures on the cod stock status. There include possible benefits to cod related to spatial regulation of pelagic fisheries. These effects will be seen in comparison with available evidence for other ecosystem and environmental drivers, to provide a broader perspective for the expected impacts for cod associated with different management interventions.
Finally, the project aims to provide overall comprehensive synthesis of the state-of the art scientific knowledge and evidence related to the cod stock situation, its drivers, and the most likely scenarios of stock developments in near future, and associated fishing opportunities.
Funding
The project is funded by the European Maritime and Fisheries Fund and the Danish Fisheries Agency.
Research area: Ecosystem based Marine Management
Research area: Fish Biology
Research area: Marine Populations and Ecosystem Dynamics
| Status | Active |
|---|---|
| Effective start/end date | 08/06/2020 → 05/08/2022 |