Climate change and fisheries impacts on small pelagic fish: dynamic, spatially explicit models in the service of the ecosystem-based fisheries management
The ultimate goal is to develop a full life cycle model for the main pelagic resources in the Aegean Sea (anchovy and sardine), coupled with a lower trophic level ecosystem model in a 3-D configuration. The composite model will provide a powerful, highly innovative tool and will be used for identifying drivers of population variability, understanding the response of the pelagic ecosystem to climatic variability and for testing alternative management scenarios for the sustainable exploitation of the resources.
The project will deliver new, state-of-the-art tools to address the ecosystem-based fisheries management. The proposed tasks will advance knowledge by:
- Improving our understanding on key aspects of the biology and ecology of small pelagic fish and the pelagic ecosystem at relevant spatial and temporal scales,
- Developing innovative, dynamic and spatially explicit modelling tools essential for an ecosystem-based management of important fisheries resources,
- Providing insights on the effect of climate variability and alternative management options through the development and evaluation of different environmental and fishing scenarios,
- Providing forecast simulations of small pelagic fish as a proof of principle that coupled hydrodynamic-biogeochemical-fish models can be used to project the exploited stocks into the future under climatic change.
Project’s website