Partner 3: The secretary of state for environment, food and rural affairs Science (CEFAS)
CEFAS is a large multidisciplinary scientific research agency with an outstanding reputation in the world of fisheries science and management. It provides its services to a large number of UK and international public and private sector clients and plays a leading role within the International Council for the Exploration of the Seas (ICES) as well as EIFAC, NASCO, NAFO, STECF, ICCAT and the IWC. CEFAS has recently been awarded overall responsibility for managing the UK’s Marine Climate Impacts Programme (MCCIP) and played a key role in the initiative and in defining Alternative Future Scenarios for Marine Ecosystems (AFMEC).
Contribution to the project: CEFAS will be work package leader of WP1, task leader of task 1.4 and investigate trophic interactions and ecosystem models of the North Sea.
The scientific team:
Dr. Georg H. Engelhard has 16 years experience in fisheries science and marine mammal biology, including population dynamics, predator-prey interactions, ecology and behaviour, and research on fishing fleets. His papers cover a range of topics including climate change effects on fish populations; trade-offs between sandeel fisheries and ‘human consumption’ fisheries for sandeel predators. He is an active participant in EU FP6 project RECLAIM and member of the UK Scientific Committee on Seals (SCOS).
Dr. Steven Mackinson is an internationally recognised expert with 13 years experience in the application of food-web ecosystem models to research on ecosystem dynamics and fisheries impacts ranging from tropical to arctic seas. He publishes, supervises and reviews work in this area and is a member of the ICES WG on Multispecies Assessment Methods (WGSAM) and involved in numerous EU Framework projects.
Mr. Jeroen van der Kooij is a fisheries ecologist and acoustic surveyor with 8 years experience. He has participated in many surveys for sandeels in the North Sea (and acted as scientist in charge) and published on links between sandeels and environmental factors including planktonic prey. His work in FACTS will focus on the interactions of sandeels with predators and the environment.
Dr. Julia M. Blanchard has 10 years experience in fisheries research. Her main area of work is on the development of dynamic size-based models to support the testing of ecosystem indicators and has contributed to ICES Expert Groups working on indicator development. Within FACTS Julia will contribute to Task 5 (Ecosystem responses: stability & biodiversity).
Dr. John K. Pinnegar is a widely known fisheries scientist with 15 years experience working in marine ecosystems around the world. In 2003 and 2006 Dr. Pinnegar co-chaired the ICES Study Group on Multispecies Assessment in the North Sea (SGMSNS). Dr. Pinnegar is Cefas Science Leader on Climate Change with particular research interests in food web theory and ecosystem modelling.
References:
Engelhard GH, Heino M (2006) Climate change and condition of herring (Clupea harengus) explain long-term trends in extent of skipped reproduction. Oecologia 149: 593-603.
Mackinson, S., M. Vasconcellos, K. Sloman, T.J. Pitcher and C.J. Walters 1997. Ecosystem impacts of harvesting small pelagic fish in upwelling ecosystems: using a dynamic mass-balance model. Forage Fishes in Marine ecosystems, Alaska Sea Grant Program, AK-SG-97-01: 731-749.
van der Kooij J, Scott BE, Mackinson S (2008) The effects of environmental factors on daytime sandeel distribution and abundance on the Dogger Bank. Journal of Sea Research 60: 201-209.
Blanchard, J.L., Dulvy N.K. , Ellis, J.E. , Jennings S. , Pinnegar, J.K. , Tidd, A. & Kell, L.T. (2005) Do climate and fishing influence size-based indicators of Celtic Sea fish community structure? ICES Journal of Marine Science 62: 405-411.
Pinnegar JK, Jennings S, O'Brien CM, Polunin NVC (2002) Long-term changes in the trophic level of the Celtic Sea fish community and fish market price distribution. Journal of Applied Ecology 39: 377-390.