Dossier

Assessment of the marine environment and protection concepts

Ulrike Kammann | 2021

FI Institute of Fisheries Ecology

SF Institute of Sea Fisheries OF Institute of Baltic Sea Fisheries

"Good" or "not good": That is the question about the environmental status of the European seas.

Blick über das Deck der Walther Herwig III auf das Meer im Gegenlicht

Germany is obliged by the Marine Strategy Framework Directive (MSFD) to record and assess the state of the marine environment. Meaningful indicators and monitoring concepts are a prerequisite for this.

The Thünen Institute is active in this process together with national and international colleagues at several points: we are collecting data, developing reference values for biodiversity, assessing the integrity of the sea floor and defining new thresholds for pollutants. We are also critically examining existing indicators. We do this with the aim of establishing a valid assessment framework for the state of the marine environment. We are primarily responsible for the higher trophic levels of marine communities and their chemical and radioactive pollution.

Expertise

MSFD and the „good environmental Status”

The Marine Strategy Framework Directive (MSFD): What is its goal and which role can the Thünen Institute play here?

Microplastics: less harmful to fish than expected

Microplastics accumulate in the marine environment due to their longevity. Micro plastics enter food webs and are a potential hazard to marine organisms. We have investigated in the North and Baltic Seas to what extent fish ingest microplastics and tested in the laboratory whether fish are harmed by microplastic fibres.

Mercury in fish from German marine areas

Mercury is one of the most toxic elements on our planet and is distributed worldwide. The levels of mercury in fish from German marine areas are regularly monitored by the Thünen Institute. The results are incorporated into national and European environmental assessments.

Sledging at the bottom of the sea

The amount of waste in the oceans - especially plastic - has steadily increased in recent decades. However, the data situation on the spatial distribution of marine litter on the seabed is unsatisfactory. A new epibenthic video sledge developed at the Thünen Institute should make it possible to arrive at more valid assessments.

Litter in German marine areas

Marine litter is a global problem. A large proportion of marine litter lies on the seabed and is hidden from our view. The Thünen Institute is investigating how much and what kind of litter lies on the seabed in German marine areas using fishing catches and video recordings. The avoidance of litter is also an important topic.

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