New Study Monitors Fish Migration in the Leie and Scheldt Rivers
Over recent weeks, researchers from the Institute for Nature and Forest Research (INBO) have deployed an extensive network of detection devices alo
First ETN datasets available through GBIF
The first datasets from the Permanent Belgian Acoustic Receiver Network are now available via GBIF. Over 507,000 fish tracking records from Belgian waters offer new insights into species movement and biodiversity.
Patterns in nature: WoRMS images in a unique design book
The book Coding, Shaping, Making combines inspiration from architecture, mathematics, biology, chemistry, and other fields to look towards the future of architecture, design and art. It presents ongoing experiments in the search for fundamental principles of form and form-making. This enables us to...
Assessing the state of the oceans
The second World Ocean Assessment – WOA II – is a global exercise by hundreds of marine scientists to evaluate trends and identify knowledge gaps in the world ocean. Two chapters of WOA II have made use of several components of the LifeWatch Species Information Backbone.
How WoRMS and OBIS guided BASF as a lighthouse
For patent applications and legal issues, it is important for BASF to collect and analyse biodiversity data: where exactly do organisms live, in which environment do they mainly live, what is their genetic code, ...? That is why they called on the expertise of WoRMS and OBIS.
Tracking the fish trails
Understanding the importance of estuarine and coastal areas for the migration of fish and recovery of populations requires tracking a fish’s movement. For this purpose, Pieterjan Verhelst analyses the tracks of tagged Atlantic cod (Gadus morhua) and European eel (Anguilla anguilla), detected on the...
Understanding mass mortality in saiga antelope population
The Saiga antelope is an endangered species that lives in Central Asian steppes and semi-arid regions. Scientists around the world are working tirelessly to prevent it from becoming completely extinct. Every year, they migrate approximately 500 km from north to south, and back. In 2015, roughly 60%...
DNA-based species validation of exotic mosquitoes (Diptera, Culicidae) in Belgium
In the framework of the MEMO project, a monitoring program was set up at 23 localities where exotic mosquito species (EMS) that may act as disease vectors can get introduced in Belgium. The early detection of EMS, before populations become established, is of paramount importance to prevent local...
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...