Modelling dynamic ecosystems : venturing beyond boundaries with the Ecopath approach

Thirty years of progress using the Ecopath with Ecosim (EwE) approach in different fields such as ecosystem impacts of fishing and climate change, emergent ecosystem dynamics, ecosystem-based management, and marine conservation and spatial planning were showcased November 2014 at the conference "Ecopath 30 years-modelling dynamic ecosystems: beyond boundaries with EwE". Exciting new developments include temporal-spatial and end-to-end modelling, as well as novel applications to environmental impact analyses, in both aquatic and terrestrial domains. A wide range of plug-ins have been added to extend the diagnostic capabilities of EwE, and the scientific community is applying EwE to a diversified range of topics besides fishing impact assessments, such as the development of scientific advice for management, the analysis of conservation issues, and the evaluation of cumulative impacts of environmental and human activities in marine food webs (including habitat modification and the invasion of alien species). Especially promising is the new potential to include the EwE model in integrated assessments with other models such as those related to climate change research. However, there are still many challenges, including the communication of scientific results in management procedures. In addition, other important scientific issues are how to improve model result validation and perform model quality control. During the conference, the Ecopath International Research and Development Consortium was presented as a way for the EwE user community to become involved in the long-term sustainability of the EwE approach. Overall, exciting times are facing the ecosystem modelling scientific community, and as illustrated by the conference: synergistic cooperation is the future path for the EwE approach

Modelling dynamic ecosystems: venturing beyond boundaries with the Ecopath approach

Marie Curie CIG grant to BIOWEB project.Thirty years of progress using the Ecopath with Ecosim (EwE) approach in different fields such as ecosystem impacts of fishing and climate change, emergent ecosystem dynamics, ecosystem-based management, and marine conservation and spatial planning were showcased November 2014 at the conference "Ecopath 30 years-modelling dynamic ecosystems: beyond boundaries with EwE". Exciting new developments include temporal-spatial and end-to-end modelling, as well as novel applications to environmental impact analyses, in both aquatic and terrestrial domains. A wide range of plug-ins have been added to extend the diagnostic capabilities of EwE, and the scientific community is applying EwE to a diversified range of topics besides fishing impact assessments, such as the development of scientific advice for management, the analysis of conservation issues, and the evaluation of cumulative impacts of environmental and human activities in marine food webs (including habitat modification and the invasion of alien species). Especially promising is the new potential to include the EwE model in integrated assessments with other models such as those related to climate change research. However, there are still many challenges, including the communication of scientific results in management procedures. In addition, other important scientific issues are how to improve model result validation and perform model quality control. During the conference, the Ecopath International Research and Development Consortium was presented as a way for the EwE user community to become involved in the long-term sustainability of the EwE approach. Overall, exciting times are facing the ecosystem modelling scientific community, and as illustrated by the conference: synergistic cooperation is the future path for the EwE approach

Bagres invasores ¿Amenaza u oportunidad?

La invasión de organismos foráneos a mares, ríos o lagunas, es una realidad constatada en diversas partes del mundo. Fue así como algunas regiones de México se vieron en poco tiempo enfrentadas a una visita inesperada: la de bagres provenientes de países vecinos. En un principio se planteó la aniquilación frontal, pero el extranjero demostró ser un duro combatiente. Entonces varios científicos decidieron aprovechar esa presencia y encontrarle un valor comercial.Additional co-authors: Ma T Viana Castrillon, A Sanchez Chinchillas, E Avila Gonzale

Improving the definition of fishing effort for important European fleets by accounting for the skipper effect

The scope of this paper is to quantify, for a wide selection of European fisheries, fishing tactics and strategies and to evaluate the benefits of adjusting the definition of. fishing effort using these elements. Fishing tactics and strategies were identified by metiers choices and a series of indices. These indices have been derived to reflect shifts in tactics (within a fishing trip) and in strategies (within a year). The Shannon-Wiener spatial diversity indices of fishing tactics (FT_SW) and strategies (YE_SW) had the greatest impact on catch rates. In particular, FT_SW was always negatively correlated to catch rates. One may anticipate that during a fishing trip, vessels with high FT_SW have been searching fish aggregations for a long time, while vessels with low FT_SW have been more efficient in finding these aggregations. The linkage between YE_SW and catch rates was of a more complex nature. Adjusting fishing effort by means of (i) the metier effect and (ii) the indices of tactics and strategies generally led to a substantial gain in the precision of the relationship between fishing mortality and fishing effort