HERRING Impact Report Herring spawning areas - present and future challenges

The Impact Report presents the research about the ecological conditions of herring spawning grounds in the case study areas and what present and future challenges they face.https://commons.wmu.se/herring/1001/thumbnail.jp

HERRING Governance Report Herring network institutions and governance

The Governance Report presents the research about the governance framework in which the various aspects and sectors that are relevant for spawning ground management are embedded.https://commons.wmu.se/herring/1002/thumbnail.jp

Temporal development of coastal ecosystems in the Baltic Sea over the past two decades

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HERRING : An analysis of spawning ground management, ecological conditions and human impacts in Greifswald Bay, Vistula Lagoon and Hanö Bight.

This book compiles the findings of the HERRING project which was conducted from 2012 until 2015 and part-financed by the EU South Baltic Programme. The main objective of the HERRING project is to improve the consideration of including herring spawning grounds in coastal management. Herring as a resource recourse would be part of the economic development of coastal areas, and HERRING strongly emphasizes the importance of foster an integrated coastal management in the South Baltic Sea. Three case study areas in Germany, Poland and Sweden serve as the basis of the approach, which can be roughly distinguished in two parts. The analysis of the ecological parameters and conditions as well as the impacts of present and future human activities, spatial uses and natural changes The analysis and compilation of the multi-level institutions and manage- ment instruments that govern the use and protection of coastal herring spawning grounds. The management of coastal spawning areas can function as an example to show the huge diversity of interest, demands and actors that need to be considered for the sustainable use of resources and ecosystems.https://commons.wmu.se/mer_book/1002/thumbnail.jp

Considerations of Use-Use Interactions between Macroalgae Cultivation and Other Maritime Sectors:An eastern baltic msp case study

With the blue economic sectors growing, marine macroalgae cultivation plays an important role in securing food and energy supplies, as well as better water quality in sustainable ways, whether alone or as part of a cluster solution to mitigate the effects of fish farming. While macroalgae cultivation exists in Europe, it is not that widely distributed yet; with increasing marine activities at sea, Maritime Spatial Planning (MSP) needs to ensure social recognition as well as social and spatial representation for such a new marine activity. This comparative case study analysis of MSPs of three eastern Baltic Sea countries explores the levels of support for the development of macroalgae cultivation in MSP and the degree of co-location options for this new and increasingly important sector. It presents new analytical ways of incorporating co-location considerations into the concept of social sustainability. The results of this study support the harmonisation of views on co-location, propose ways of using space to benefit multiple users as well as marine ecosystems, and highlight some of the key social challenges and enablers for this sector

The structure of macrozoobenthic communities as an environmental status indicator in the Gulf of Gdańsk (the Outer Puck Bay)

Summary: An attempt is made to use long-term (1979–2014) macrobenthos data series to derive insights on changes in abiotic conditions and on potential effects of long-term macrobenthos variability on food availability for fish and wintering waterfowl. The data were collected from a small embayment, protected as a NATURA 2000 area, functioning as a fishing ground important for the local community and as a site of diverse commercial developments. The analysis showed a drastic reduction of the macrobenthos abundance and biomass, which could have been related to oxygen deficiency; on the other hand, recolonisation processes have also been observed. Keywords: Macrozoobenthos, Long-term changes, Hypoxi

Influence of coastal upwelling on chlorophyll a concentration in the surface water along the Polish coast of the Baltic Sea

Space-time variations in chlorophyll a (Chl a) concentrations in the surface water of upwelling regions along the Polish coast of the Baltic Sea were analysed. Carried out between 1998 and 2002 in the warmer season (from April till October), the measurements were targeted mainly at the Hel upwelling. Satellite-derived sea surface temperature (AVHRR) and Chl a data (SeaWiFS) were used. Generally speaking, the Chl a concentration increased in the upwelling plume, except along the Hel Peninsula, where two scenarios took place: a reduction in Chl a concentration in spring and an increase in autumn

The first report on the establishment and spread of the alien clam Rangia cuneata (Mactridae) in the Polish part of the Vistula Lagoon (southern Baltic)

Information on distribution of the bivalve Rangia cuneata in the Polish part of the Vistula Lagoon is presented. The species, first recorded in the Lagoon in 2010, has since rapidly colonized almost the entire basin. The distribution and population structure of the species have been studied in the Polish part of the Lagoon since 2012. Preliminary results on distribution and size structure of the population highlight extensive fluctuations in 2012–2014. A drastic reduction in the abundance following the relatively long winter of 2012/2013 suggests that the winter oxygen deficiency associated with the ice cover could be critical for the population development. Potential effects of the new invasive bivalve on the structure of benthic habitats and macrozoobenthos communities are discussed