Review of the spatial and temporal distribution by life stage for 19 North Sea fish species

Considering the increase in human activity in the North Sea, particularly cargo shipping and the rapidly expanding construction and operation of oil platforms and wind farms, as well as the continued use of the area for military purposes, fisheries and sand extraction, there is a growing concern about the potentially harmful impacts of such anthropogenic activities on marine life. Particular concerns have been raised about the effect of loud impulse sounds and high noise levels, which may affect marine animal life in different ways: habitat use, such as feeding and migration, and reproduction patterns may be disturbed. In the extreme case animals may suffer from sub-lethal or lethal physical damage such as hearing loss and disrupted swim ladders. Knowledge of the spatial distribution and seasonal patterns in the presence of different life stages of marine species is therefore critical for assessing to what extent the dispersion of marine life overlaps with the distribution of human activities and for estimating how potentially harmful impacts can be mitigated both spatially and temporally. The aim of this desk study is consequently to provide a concise overview of existing information on seasonal patterns in the dispersion of fish species in the North Sea, in particular by highlighting the knowledge gaps

Monitoring cod catches of the Dutch demersal fleet in 2016

This report presents the results of the cod monitoring program 2016. The research was commissioned by the Dutch Ministry of Economic Affairs within the EZ-program Beleidsondersteunend Onderzoek. Cod catches of the vessels in the fleet segments BT2 (beam trawl and pulse trawl) and TR (otter trawls and seines) need to be monitored yearly, due to the Dutch implementation of the European cod recovery plan. The European cod recovery plan restricts the fishing effort of European fleets catching cod. Fishing effort, based on historical track records, is allocated to different gear groups. Fishing effort can be transferred between gear groups by use of conversion factors. In the Netherlands fishing effort is transferred yearly from the BT2 gear group to the TR group, based on a national conversion factor of 1:3 (BT:TR) kWdays instead of the European conversion factor of 1:16. This is because the cod catches in the Dutch TR fleet are not as high as the European conversion factor implies. In order to substantiate for the national conversion factor, the Dutch government is obliged to report cod catches per unit of effort (CpUE) of the vessels in these gear groups to the European Commission. An overview is provided of the fishing activity, the cod landings and the cod landings per unit of effort of the various gear categories in the BT2 and the TR fleet segments during the year 2016. First the cod Catch per Unit of Effort (CpUE) transition ratio between the BT2 on the one hand and the TR1C plus TR2 fleet segments on the other hand was calculated. And secondly the percentage of cod avoidance trips – trips during which 5% or less cod was caught – in the TR-fleet were calculated. The TR fleet has a higher cod CpUE on average than the BT fleet. When the cod targeted fisheries (TR1AB) are not taken into account, the CpUE effort transition ratio (TR1C+TR2): BT2 of 2016 lies between 4.2:1 and 5.7:1, depending on whether the ratio is calculated on the basis of minimum or maximum cod discards estimation by the Scientific, Technical and Economic Committee for Fisheries (STECF) respectively whereby in the minimum calculation the vessels participating in the CCTV program are excluded. Based on average discards estimations including all vessels, the ratio is 5.1:1. The percentage of cod avoidance trips, fishing trips with 5% cod or less in the total catches, in the TR1C and the TR2 fleets were 94% and 96% in 2016 respectively. These percentages are based on average STECF cod discards estimations. When minimum or maximum discards estimations are used, the calculated percentages of cod avoidance trips does not vary more than 2 or 3% from the percentage based on average estimations

Beoordeling criteria GMT-1 "biologische diversiteit"

In het kader van de Kaderrichtlijn Mariene Strategie (KRM) streeft Nederland (in internationale Noordzee-context) naar een “Goede Milieu Toestand” (GMT, of GES Good Environmental Status) van het mariene milieu. Een element van deze GMT is “biologische diversiteit”. De invulling van dit element is onlangs geformuleerd door een taskgroep onder regie van het Joint Research Centre (JRC) van de Europese Commissie en het International Council for Exploration of the Sea (ICES). Binnen het project ‘Aanvullende beschermde gebieden op de Noordzee’ heeft IMARES een interne workshop georganiseerd, welke tot doel had een oordeel te vormen over de bruikbaarheid en toepasbaarheid van resultaten van de JRC/ICES task-groep ten aanzien van het GMT element 1 “biologische diversiteit”, ten behoeve van het aanwijzen van aanvullend te beschermen gebieden in de Nederlandse Exclusieve Economische Zone (EEZ)

Development and selection of operational management strategies to achieve policy objectives

Since the reform of the EU Common Fisheries Policy in 2002, effort has been devoted to addressing the governance, scientific, social and economic issues required to introduce an ecosystem approach to fisheries management (EAFM) in Europe. Fisheries management needs to support the three pillars of sustainability (ecological, social and economic) and Fisheries Ecosystem Plans (FEPs) have been developed as a tool to assist managers considering the ecological, social and economic implications of their decision. Building upon previous studies (e.g. the FP5-funded European Fisheries Ecosystem Plan project), the core concept of the Making the European Fisheries Ecosystem Plan Operational (MEFEPO) project is to deliver operational frameworks (FEPs) for three regional seas. The project focus is on how best to make current institutional frameworks responsive to an EAFM at regional and pan-European levels in accordance with the principles of good governance. The regional seas selected for the project are the North Sea (NS), North Western Waters (NWW) and South Western Waters (SWW) RAC regions. The aim of this work package (WP5) was to develop operational objectives to achieve the ecological objectives identified for the 3 regional seas in WP2. This report describes the development and implementation of a transparent and formal process that should lead to identification of the “best” operational management strategies for an EAFM, based on sound scientific information and stakeholder involvement (e.g. regional industry groups, citizen groups, managers and other interest groups)

Roundfish monitoring Princess amalia Wind Farm

This report describes the results of field work in the Princess Amalia Wind Farm (in Dutch: Prinses Amaliawindpark, or PAWP). It is to realize the requirements of the Monitoring and Evaluation Program, which is part of the Wbr-permit of the wind farm. The objective is to determine if the wind farm functions as a refugium for roundfish. PAWP is expected to act as a refugium because fisheries are excluded in the farm area since 16 October 2007. It is expected that larger and older individuals as well as species vulnerable for fisheries would have a better chance to survive which would result in an increase in numbers and larger individuals

Reisverslag IBTS-Q1 2014

Het primaire doel van de International Bottom Trawl Survey (IBTS) is het verkrijgen van recruitmentindices van kabeljauw, schelvis, wijting, kever, makreel, koolvis, haring en sprot in de Noordzee, Skagerrak en Kattegat. Daarnaast worden de gegevens gebruikt als “tuning-series” voor de bestandsschattingen van de commerciële soorten

Waardekaarten Belgische 3 tot 4,5-mijlszone

Waardekaarten en tabellen van een geselecteerd deel van de kottervloot binnen de Belgische 3 tot 4,5mijls zone

Impact of source of infection and vancomycin AUC0–24/MICBMD targets on treatment failure in patients with methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus bacteraemia

AbstractDespite recent controversies about toxicity and reduced efficacy, vancomycin remains the current treatment of choice for methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) bacteraemia. The parameter associated with treatment success is the vancomycin 24-h area under concentration-time curve to MIC ratio (AUC0–24/MIC). We aimed to determine the utility of calculated AUCs and explore the optimal AUC0–24/MIC targets associated with treatment success. In this single-centre retrospective observational cohort study of 127 patients with MRSA bacteraemia, forty-five (35.4%) did not respond to vancomycin treatment. Patient characteristics were essentially the same between those who did not respond to vancomycin treatment and those with treatment success, with independent predictors of treatment failure being source of bacteraemia (odds ratio (OR), 4.29; 95% confidence interval (CI), 1.50–12.26; p 0.007) and not achieving an AUC0–24/MICBMD (using broth microdilution) target of ≥398 (OR, 11.4; 95% CI, 4.57–28.46; p< 0.001). Bacteraemic source-specific thresholds were observed with a higher AUC0–24/MICBMD target of 440 required for high-risk sources (e.g. infective endocarditis) compared with 330 for low-risk sources (line related bacteraemia). Overall treatment success in patients with MRSA bacteraemia was associated with a vancomycin AUC0–24/MICBMD target of ≥398, with source-specific targets observed. Future vancomycin practice guidelines will need to take into account MIC methodology, source of bacteraemia and patient populations prior to setting targets and monitoring recommendations

Klimaatverandering in de Noordzee: gevolgen voor vis

Niet alleen op het land merken we de invloed van de opwarming van de aarde, ook in de zee zijn er grote veranderingen waarneembaar. In hoeverre deze veranderingen toe te schrijven zijn aan klimaatverandering is moeilijk te zeggen. Want behalve het veranderend klimaat zijn er nog andere belangrijke factoren die tegelijkertijd invloed uitoefenen, zoals visserij en eutrofiëring. Aan de hand van veranderingen in de visfauna in de Noordzee zullen we de mogelijke rol van klimaatverandering illustrere