Duration: 20 to 28 April 2026

Area: North Sea

Purpose: "North Sea Ammunition”

After the world wars, an estimated 1.3 million tonnes of ammunition were dumped in German North Sea waters. Over time, the munitions rust and release pollutants such as TNT (trinitrotoluene), which can be detected in fish. As part of the BMBF DAM project CONMAR-2 and for the "Munitions screening" of the Federal Environment Ministerial Conference, the extent to which water samples and fish are contaminated by the munitions contamination is to be investigated.

The individual tasks of the journey are:

• Collection of water and fish samples, in particular dab (Limanda limanda) near munitions dumping areas in the North Sea and in control areas
• Continuation of the monitoring time series and review of the findings from Solea 816, 831, 847
• Collecting further samples in the "Außen Jade" area in order to determine possible changes in environmental pollution from ammunition residues
• The University of Hamburg will be represented by visiting researcher Raphael Koll. Mr Koll is working on the biodiversity of non-commercial fish species. He wants to compare samples of environmental DNA from the water with fish samples from the catch. In addition, he wants to investigate the diversity of microorganisms in the intestines of fish (the so-called microbiome). As control values for comparison with the findings on intestinal flora, Mr Koll needs additionally sediment samples from the individual fishing areas.
• Joachim Kurtz from the University of Münster is coming on board to take samples from dab. He is investigating the causes of the increasingly frequent occurrence of melanoma in this fish species.