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Advances in sampling and observation are described including new optical and acoustical systems together with animal tagging and telemetry. Shipboard, laboratory, and in situ studies of zooplankton feeding, reproduction and development, zooplankton and larval fish growth, and zooplankton mortality are reviewed. The relation between individual zooplankton behaviours, such as feeding, predator escape and mate-finding, are considered in relation to population processes. Methods of retrospective data analysis applied in retrospective studies on past ecosystem states are described. Finally, potential future directions for marine ecosystem research using observational and experimental approaches are discussed.

Fronts, eddies, and upwelling shape larval fish habitats in the Canary Current Ecosystem. In the last five years, five sea-going expeditions have been undertaken to investigate the influence of these ocean processes on the life of fishes and their early life stages. The use of different sampling techniques (e.g. midi/maxi multinet, GULF VII, and CTD) allowed us to understand horizontal and vertical larval fish distribution patterns. Frontal zones that function as natural barrier for plankton drift were identified enabling the formation of spatially segregated larval fish assemblages. Mesoscale eddies compensated an offshore drift of water masses during the upwelling process retaining fish larvae at the shelf break. An upwelling intensity driven spatio-temporal niche partitioning was observed between larval round sardinella (Sardinella aurita) and larval European sardine (Sardina pilchardus). While climate models predict a change of the upwelling intensity in upwelling ecosystems, we suggest that dominance relationships of small pelagic fishes will fluctuate according to upwelling intensity variation. The results of our studies improve the understanding of how fishes avail the dominant physical features in upwelling ecosystems and aid to comprehend population dynamics.

The ICES Working Group on comparative analyses between European Atlantic and Mediterra-nean Ecosystems to move towards an Ecosystem-based Approach to Fisheries (WGCOMEDA) recently completed its second three-year cycle. WGCOMEDA was established in 2014 and works in cooperation with other groups within the ICES Integrated Ecosystem Assessments Steering Group (IEASG).The working group objectives are: i) to set the analytical and data framework to develop common Integrated Ecosystem Assessments (IEA) exercises, ii) to advance several ongoing comparative studies on ecosystems stability, and iii) to frame comparative size- and traits-based approaches in both demersal and benthic ecosystems. To fulfil these objectives, the group focused on:1. Providing a more complete understanding of the structural and functional role of ecolog-ical stability across different types of ecosystems. The group has made considerable pro-gress on understanding the interplay between stability-diversity-resilience on both demersal and pelagic communities, conducting a resilience assessment to detect recent regime shifts, and examining the role of individual and species size in the stability of communities.2. Using functional trait information to assess the structure and functioning of demersal and benthic communities across Mediterranean and Atlantic systems and to predict their vul-nerability to fishing disturbance. Trait-based approaches (TBA) has been one of the most active topics of the group, with several Atlantic-Mediterranean comparative studies, and novel regional studies developing new approaches and methods combining trait infor-mation with methods and data beyond scientific surveys. In addition, specific trait-based approaches have been developed in the benthic realm by formulating disturbance and re-sistance indices on sensitive benthic habitats.3. Analyzing the link between ecological stability across different ecosystems types and eco-system properties (structure and function). Work on this topic has been initiated and will be one of the main objectives for the next cycle of the working group. This effort will evaluate the complexity of biodiversity patterns and investigate the link between ecosystem structure and stability.4. Identifying methods and products to support the implementation of IEA in regional eco-systems. The group discussed pros and cons of the main IEA methods and conducted an integrated trend analysis of Atlantic and Mediterranean fish communities with the goal to identify the importance of two main global drivers: fishing vs. natural hydroclimatic varia-bility. A user-friendly, open access shiny application and an R library were developed to apply this approach.WG COMEDA has collected common databases, developed novel tools, revealed common pat-terns and mechanism between the Atlantic and the Mediterranean as well as identified important differences that need to be consider in the future development of IEAs in contrasting ecosystems. Common gaps of knowledge have been also used to define new ToRs in the next WG COMEDA cycle which include: i) improving the assessment of the functional biodiversity, ii) better under-tand and integrate the complexity of marine biota, iii) investigating resilience an mechanisms of change, and iv) exploring potential options to integrate ecological and socio-economic dimen-sions.

ICAWA : International Conference AWA, Lanzarote, ESP, 17-/04/2018 - 20/04/2018; An analysis based on a multi-decadal physical–biogeochemical hindcast simulation (1980-2009) was conducted to characterize the drivers of the spatial distribution of phytoplankton biomass and production in the north-west (NW) African upwelling system. To that end, a comparative box analysis representing homogeneous sub-regions in the NW African upwelling system has been conducted. The sub-regions have been defined using the near-surface horizontal circulation patterns. In each box, we analysed the dynamics of primary productivity and nutrients with regard to advective and diffusive matter fluxes at the boundaries and local biological production and/or uptake. The nature and variability of the matter exported from the coastal margin to the adjacent open ocean were also subsequently depicted. This variability of the primary production may impact the distribution and abundance of fish populations, and their associated fisheries, on a large range of timescales.

Hintergrund: Nach Unterbringung in Erstaufnahmeeinrichtungen werden Geflüchtete in Gemeinden untergebracht. Die besonderen infrastrukturellen Gegebenheiten der jeweiligen Gemeinde können dabei nicht immer berücksichtigt werden. Geflüchtete können sich im Rahmen der freien Arztwahl[zum vollständigen Text gelangen Sie über die oben angegebene URL], 16. Deutscher Kongress für Versorgungsforschung (DKVF)

Comparative analyses of the dynamics of exploited marine ecosystems have led to differing hypotheses regarding the primary causes of observed regime shifts, while many ecosystems have apparently not undergone regime shifts. These varied responses may be partly explained by the decade-old recognition that within-system spatial heterogeneity in key climate and anthropogenic drivers may be important, as recent theoretical examinations have concluded that spatial heterogeneity in environmental characteristics may diminish the tendency for regime shifts. Here, we synthesize recent, empirical within-system spatio-temporal analyses of some temperate and subarctic large marine ecosystems in which regime shifts have (and have not) occurred. Examples from the Baltic Sea, Black Sea, Bengula Current, North Sea, Barents Sea and Eastern Scotian Shelf reveal the largely neglected importance of considering spatial variability in key biotic and abiotic influences and species movements in the context of evaluating and predicting regime shifts.We highlight both the importance of understanding the scale-dependent spatial dynamics of climate influences and key predator–prey interactions to unravel the dynamics of regime shifts, and the utility of spatial downscaling of proposed mechanisms (as evident in the North Sea and Barents Sea) as a means of evaluating hypotheses originally derived from among-system comparisons.

Sustainable use of marine resources, as targeted by Ecosystem-Based Fishery Management (EBFM), is a highly ranked policy goal. However, many marine fish stocks are still overused, challenging sustainability goals. Reasons for this policy failure are disputed and they might be manifold, including economic, institutional, and social drivers. Here, we use Generalised Additive Models (GAMs) to empirically determine and quantify the importance of interacting ecological, economic, and social drivers in a political decision making process, i.e. the setting of annual Total Allowable Catch (TAC) limits. GAMs allow non linear relationships between response and explanatory variables and due to their flexibility have successfully been applied to investigate ecosystem dynamics. Here, we use this modeling approach in a novel way to quantify social-economic-ecological feed-backs on policy decisions. European fisheries policy agreed in most cases to TACs higher than scientifically advised. We recorded this deviation for all managed European fish stocks for the time-series 1987-2014. Additionally, we make use of available time-series of socio-economic and ecological variables potentially influencing the decision, including national unemployment rates, stock status, economic growth rates, and employment in fisheries. We show that political decisions on TACs are not only driven by scientific advice on the ecological state of the stock, but that socio-economic variables have a significant effect on TACs – however not related to sound scientific advice. We conclude that scientific advice for a successful implementation of EBMF will have to address socio- economic driving forces more explicitly.

Report on effects of changing predation pressure on benthic and pelagic species

Sustainable use of marine resources, as targeted by Ecosystem-Based Fishery Management (EBFM), is a highly ranked policy goal. However, many marine fish stocks are still overused, challenging sustainability goals. Reasons for this policy failure are disputed and they might be manifold, including economic, institutional, and social drivers. We use Generalized Additive Models (GAMs) to empirically determine and quantify the importance of interacting ecological, economic, and social drivers in a political decision making process, i.e. the setting of annual Total Allowable Catch (TAC) limits. GAMs allow non linear relationships between response and explanatory variables and due to their flexibility have successfully been applied to investigate ecosystem dynamics. Here, we use this modeling approach in a novel way to quantify social-economic-ecological feed-backs on policy decisions. European fisheries policy agreed in most cases to TACs higher than scientifically advised. We recorded this deviation for all managed European fish stocks for the time-series 1987-2013. Additionally, we make use of available time-series of socio-economic and ecological variables potentially influencing the decision, including national unemployment rates, stock status, economic growth rates, and employment in fisheries. We show that political decisions on TACs are not only driven by scientific advice on the ecological state of the stock, but that socio-economic variables have a significant effect on TACs – however not related to sound scientific advice. We conclude that scientific advice for a successful implementation of EBFM will have to address socio-economic driving forces more explicitly.

Regime shifts, i.e. sudden changes in the structure and function of ecosystems, are of growing concern for fisheries management. This workshop reviewed the present state of our understanding of regime shifts in marine ecosystems, focusing on shifts which largely took place as a result of overfishing. The workshop presented examples of shifts in overexploited marine ecosystems around the world and provided recommendations for management responses. Two case studies discussed the Baltic and Black Sea ecosystem shifts, which are among the most prominent regime shifts recorded so far.

The human infl uence on marine ecosystems is being recognized as a basis for extending the horizons of management. Historical anthropogenic infl uence has involved a wide variety of factors, including the effects of fi shing on the dynamics of individual resource species. More inclusive complexity includes the interactions among species, and their interactions with other aspects of their biotic and physical environment. In this chapter, we review these elements of complexity for the central Baltic Sea. This ecosystem has a long history of human infl uence and its own special characteristics, due to its geographic location, geomorphic traits, and socio-political context. More and more of the complexity of this ecosystem is being recognized as scientists add to the wealth of documentation regarding the infl uence of surrounding terrestrial activities, monitor the dynamics of component populations, establish the effects of weather and climate, and illuminate the relationships among the various elements of the ecosystem. There is a great deal of historical information to characterize the changes that have occurred, not only among the various species making up the ecosystem, but also at the ecosystem level. Some of these have involved regime shifts, in part owing to climatic factors. Such significant changes involve more than one of the ecosystem’s trophic levels as well as physical features such as salinity, temperature, and oxygen concentration. We begin to understand some of the complexity of ecosystems when we recognize that such factors are not alone, however, and realize that trophic cascade dynamics and feedback loops are also involved. Of particular importance for fi sheries management is the clarity with which we have observed, documented, and explained some of the effects of fi shing, not simply as an infl uence on individual resource species, but on the ecosystem as a whole. Some of these ecological aspects are currently used in fi sh stock assessment and management in the central Baltic Sea, but recently acquired additional knowledge could be potentially used in the future to reach the goal of a sustainable exploitation of fi sheries resources in this area.