Long-term observation and distribution of benthic communities in the North Sea

Our mission is to provide an improved understanding of the benthic communities of the North Sea, setting the basis for an ecological assessment of the environmental status and the protection of marine ecosystems in the German Bight.

The European Marine Strategy Framework Directive and the Habitats Directive require EU Member States to monitor and assess the status and trends of seabed communities. In a research project funded by the German Federal Agency for Nature Conservation, we develop and conduct monitoring programmes to continuously observe animal communities in and on the seafloor of the German Exclusive Economic Zone of the North Sea and its protected areas. Further, we investigate how the species communities recover after the exclusion of bottom trawling in the protected areas. Our work thus substantially supports the status assessment and protection of the marine environment.

The monitoring of benthic habitats is included in POF-IV in Subtopics 4.2 and 6.1.

Jan Beermann
Manuela Gusky
Birgit Glückselig
Melanie Stadler
Johanna Ott