Have climate induced changes in zooplankton communities led to poor conditions for larval fish growth? A test on cod larvae on the UK shelf

Climate effects have been shown to be at least partly responsible for the reorganisation in the plankton ecosystem on the shelf seas of NW Europe over the last 50 years. Most fish larvae feed primarily on zooplankton, so changes in zooplankton quantity, quality and seasonal timing have been hypothesized to be a key factor affecting their survival. To investigate this we have implemented a 1-dimensional trophodynamic growth model of cod larvae for the waters around the UK covering the period 1960 to 2003. Larval growth is modelled as the difference between the amount of food absorbed by the larva and its various metabolic costs. Prey availability is based upon the biomass and size of available preys (i.e. adults and nauplii copepods and cladocerans) taken from the Continuous Plankton Recorder dataset. Temperature and wind forcing are also taken into account. Results suggest that observed changes in plankton community structure may have had less impact than previously suggested. This is because changes in prey availability may be compensated for by increased temperatures resulting in little overall impact on potential larval growth. Stock recovery, at least in the short term is likely to be more dependent upon conserving the year classes recruited to allow spawning stock biomass to rebuild. If as our model suggests, the larvae are still able to survive in the changing environment, reduction in fishing on the adults is needed to allow the stock to recover.

Channel Catchments Cluster. Recent developments in tools and techniques for water quality management in the France (Channel) England region

The Channel Catchments Cluster (3C) aims to capitalise on outputs from some of the recent projects funded through the INTERREG IVa France (Channel) England programme. The river catchment basins draining into the Channel region drain an area of 137,000km2 and support a human population of over 19M. Throughout history, these catchments, rivers and estuaries have been centres of habitation, developed through commerce and industry, providing transport links to hinterland areas. These catchments also provide drinking water and food through provision of agriculture, fisheries and aquaculture. In addition, many parts of the region are also economically important now for the tourism and leisure industries. Consequently, there is a need to manage the balance of these many and varied human activities within the catchments, rivers, estuaries and marine areas to ensure that they are maintained or restored to good environmental condition . This document highlights some of the recent work carried out by projects within the INTERREG IVa programme that provide tools and techniques to assist in the achievement of these goals.

Channel Catchments Cluster: Compendium of Tools

Although the narrow stretch of water that separates England from France has seen both welcome (and occasionally less welcome) exchanges during the past thousand years, this physical challenge to the movement of people has certainly served to obstruct collaborative efforts that might establish a more sustainable economy in our part of Europe. Since 2009, the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF)-supported Interreg Programme France (Channel) England Region has actively supported efforts by organisations in France and England to work ever more closely together, to share good practice and to devise new ways to support sustainable development in the Region. The initiatives are certainly rooted in excellent research, but they have also been driven by the real needs of the Region and in all cases partners have worked to develop practical tools that can be readily applied in both France and England. The Channel Catchment Cluster (3C) builds on this growing tradition of cross-border cooperation to bring together the very best new knowledge from recent Anglo-French teamwork. The contents of this Compendium are the result of a wide variety of grass-roots initiatives that have benefitted enormously from a cross-border meeting of minds. The Cluster has brought together several of these cross-border teams to discuss their work and to share good practice in the dissemination and application of novel tools for environmental protection. This Compendium therefore not only presents a 'snapshot' of the wide variety of environmental protection and management tools that have emerged from the France (Channel) England Region, it also summarises where they stand on their 'pathway to impact'. There is clearly much more that can be achieved by future cross-border efforts in our Region, but I believe that this Compendium provides an excellent basis for future action. Professor Huw Taylor University of Brighton UK