In the Wadden Tools – Swimway Wadden Sea project we aim to identify the bottlenecks that fish encounter in the Wadden Sea and work out management measures to address these. We study how fish use the Wadden Sea and evaluate existing and new management measures. The results of our research will support improvements for monitoring and management, the ultimate goal being to improve the living conditions for fish in the Wadden Sea.
Swimway
The Swimway Wadden Sea project is based on the life-cycle approach. All fish pass through different life stages, starting as an egg, via larvae and juveniles to the adult stage. In each of these stages they require specific habitats and conditions in order to survive to the next stage. For a healthy population, individual fish must pass through all these stages successfully and moreover, the habitats required in each stage must be interconnected. The whole chain is important, and the strength of the links determines the population development of a specific species.
Read more about the life-cycle approach. Read more about the life cycle approach.
Project partners
In the Swimway Wadden Sea project, scientists, managers and conservation organisations work together as a team. The project was initiated by the Royal Netherlands Institute for Sea Research (NIOZ), the University of Groningen (RUG), Wageningen Marine Research (WMR) and the Waddenvereniging conservation organisation. Rijkswaterstaat and Sportvisserij Nederland are also involved.
Het gaat niet goed met de visstand van de Waddenzee, terwijl vis een belangrijke bouwsteen is voor veel ander leven. Met goede beheer- en herstelmaatregelen kunnen we daar verandering in brengen. Waddentools – Swimway Waddenzee is een meerjarig onderzoeksproject waarmee we meer inzicht krijgen in welke maatregelen tot herstel van de visstand kunnen leiden.
