Tracking plastics using fish tags
tags

Tracking plastics using fish tags

Acoustic telemetry proves to be a valid method to follow up the pathway of marked ‘daily use’ plastic items in rivers, in a more detailed manner than ever before. The idea of using acoustic telemetry to track plastic items came to mind, during a fish monitoring campaign organized by the Research...

Mapping the marine migration of an IUCN endangered species
anguilla anguilla

Mapping the marine migration of an IUCN endangered species

The spawning grounds of the European eel (Anguilla anguilla L.) have been a mystery for centuries and with the declining population, making it a critically endangered species on the IUCN Red List, it is important to unravel this mythical place and the migration routes leading to it. Understanding...

There’s no plaice like an offshore wind farm
Offshore wind farm

There’s no plaice like an offshore wind farm

Offshore wind farms are built at a high rate in European waters to make the transition towards more green energy sources. Their development takes up marine space that is often not available anymore to other users such as the fisheries sector. This while knowledge on the ecological effects of wind...

The LifeWatch ERIC BEeS: abstract book, video recordings and more!
The LifeWatch ERIC BEeS: abstract book, video recordings and more!

The LifeWatch ERIC BEeS: abstract book, video recordings and more!

The LifeWatch ERIC family met again, for the first time in four years, at the "BEeS" Biodiversity & Ecosystem eScience Conference. It took place in Seville from 22 - 24 May, on the occasion of the International Day for Biological Diversity. Explore the abstract book, watch the video of the live-streamed round table, and download the presentations!
The LifeWatch Data Cloud is launched!
The LifeWatch Data Cloud is launched!

The LifeWatch Data Cloud is launched!

This summer the LifeWatch Data Cloud was launched as a user-friendly platform for researchers who are looking for data to perform biodiversity and ecosystem research. In the background, the LifeWatch Data Cloud is using the Flemish Supercomputer Center (VSC) resources to provide the users with a performant infrastructure. Let’s try it out immediately at https://datacloudmi.lifewatch.be!
WoRMS press release: Ten remarkable new marine species from 2021
WoRMS press release: Ten remarkable new marine species from 2021

WoRMS press release: Ten remarkable new marine species from 2021

As for previous years, the World Register of Marine Species (WoRMS) has again released its annual list of the top-ten marine species described by researchers during the past year to coincide with World Taxonomist Appreciation Day on March 19th!
Mapping the eel migration routes
Mapping the eel migration routes

Mapping the eel migration routes

With the use of 96 data loggers, scientists of the Research Institute for Nature and Forest (INBO), Ghent University and the Flanders Marine Institute (VLIZ) succeeded to map the migration routes of eels in the North Sea. The results show that the majority of the Belgian eels migrate through the English Channel, the narrow sea passage between England and France. Although this seems a logical thing to do, some choose to migrate over Scotland. The reason for these different choices is still under study. The eels are probably guided by certain sea currents.
European Tracking Network for fish has reached over 500 million detections
European Tracking Network for fish has reached over 500  million detections

European Tracking Network for fish has reached over 500 million detections

In recent years, fish tracking technology has revolutionized our knowledge on fish migration and behaviour. Today, the European Tracking Network (ETN) integrates the European efforts of hundreds of users, dealing with thousands of tagged fish from a multitude of species. Within this LifeWatch initiative, 500 million detections so far have taught us a lot on fish species such as Atlantic bluefin tuna, European seabass and sturgeon.