Karl-Michael Werner receives award for the best poster at the ICES Annual Science Conference 2023

Dr. Karl-Michael Werner, scientist at the Thünen Institute of Sea Fisheries, won the prize for the best poster at the internationally renowned conference of the International Council for the Exploration of the Sea (ICES). The event is organised annually by ICES and was held this year from 11 to 14 September 2023 at the Palacio Euskalduna in Bilbao (Spain).

The poster "The impact of turbine foundation type on catch rates of cod in the southern North Sea" by Karl-Michael Werner and colleagues clearly illustrates how three different turbine types used in offshore wind generation can act as artificial habitat for cod. The researchers investigated three different types of turbines led by Dr. Vanessa Stelzenmüller, over several years and found that monopile turbines with rockfill at the sea bottom can attract significantly more cod than monopile turbines with sandbags or so-called jacket turbines.

These results can be used in the future when offshore wind farms are not only used for energy generation, but also as artificial reefs in local ecosystems. 

Dr. Thomas Noack from the Thünen Institute of Baltic Sea Fisheries also performed excellently and was on the shortlist for the prize for the best oral presentation.