Partner 6: Universitaet Hamburg (UHAM)
Research at the Institute of Hydrobiology and Fishery Science at UHAM combines a variety of methodological approaches in process-oriented investigations of dynamic interactions within marine food webs and between organisms and their physical environment. Laboratory, field and modelling studies examine how bottom-up, top-down and climate-driven processes interact to influence the dynamics of food webs (Baltic Sea, North Sea and elsewhere), the recruitment dynamics of small pelagic fish and how knowledge on these processes can be implemented within integrated fisheries assessment and management, makes UHAM a highly valuable partner within FACTS. UHAM collaborates in a variety of EU FP6 and FP7 fisheries/ecosystem research programs (in top 10, EU funding for University marine science institutes).
Contribution to the project: UHAM is the leader of the Baltic Case Study, and leader of Tasks 1.1 and 1.2.
The scientific team:
Prof. Christian Möllmann focuses on integrating environmental processes into ecosystem-based management and has participated in EU funded Baltic research projects since 1996 (e.g., BASIS, STORE) and European-wide projects on trophodynamic (BECAUSE) climate (RECLAIM) and stock management (UNCOVER) processes. He coordinates Baltic integrated assessment research as the chairperson of ICES/HELCOM “Working Group on Integrated Assessments of the Baltic Sea” and as a principle investigator in EUR-OCEANS network of excellence.
Prof. Myron A. Peck investigates processes impacting vital rates and life cycle dynamics of marine fish using field, laboratory and modelling (bioenergetics, biophysical models) studies. He is currently a Task or WP leader in various EU programs (RECLAIM, UNCOVER, ECODRIVE) investigating climate-driven, life cycle / recruitment dynamics of small pelagic fish in European waters. National programs include GLOBEC Germany (chief UHAM scientist) and RECONN (ongoing, Co-PI). Forage fish examined include sprat, herring, anchovy and sardine.
Prof. Axel Temming has a long-standing expertise in feeding ecology (diet selection, feeding rates), predator-prey interactions and population dynamics of commercially-exploited fish in the North Sea and Baltic Sea. He has been a member of the ICES Multi Species Assessment WG since 1989 and has been the responsible scientist for several EU- and national (e.g., GLOBEC) projects. He coordinated “BECAUSE”, an EU program examining top-down processes in multi-species assemblages.
Dr. Jens Floeter conducts quantitative research on predation rates and prey selection under variable environmental situations and at different spatial scales in the North Sea food web. The focus is on implementing this process knowledge into multi-species stock assessment models. This research has been performed within a number of EU programs: BECAUSE (assist. coordination), UNCOVER (WP leader) and LIFECO (WP leader). Member of ICES Multi Species Assessment WG since 1997.
References
Baumann H, Peck MA, Götze E, Temming A (2007) Declining growth rates in post-larval sprat, Sprattus sprattus, encountered in coastal waters of the western Baltic Sea: a case of food limitation during the early juvenile stage? J Fish Biol 70:853-866.
Daewel U, Peck MA, Kühn W, St. John MA, Schrum C (2008) Coupling ecosystem and individual-based models to simulate the influence of climate variability on potential growth and survival of larval fish in the North Sea. Fish Oceanogr 17(5):333-420.
Daenhardt A, Peck MA, Clemmesen C, Temming A (2007) Depth-dependent nutritional condition of sprat larvae in the central Bornholm Basin, Baltic Sea. Mar Ecol Prog Ser 341:217-228.