News & Events

to MGF-O News

Topics, recommendations and decision-making knowledge provided by German marine research
for a future ocean use agenda

This KDM Strategy Group Marine Protected Areas is a forum for discussion and priority-setting for science in support of effective MPAs. The SG will be integrative, including Environmental scientists, Marine Engineers, Microbiologists, Observational experts and Social Scientists etc.. Experts from NGOs and government agencies will also be invited, as necessary. The group will focus on MPAs within and beyond the German EEZ.

The cod stock in the western Baltic Sea has collapsed – directed fishing for this stock is prohibited. The search for sustainable solutions, such as the SpaCeParti reallabor approach, has been reignited

A structural change in fisheries is in full swing – fishing companies are disappearing, fisheries cooperatives have to close, entire coastal regions are changing. This is because the stock of western Baltic cod has collapsed, which is why directed fishing is currently banned.
While discussions about possible reasons have been going on for many years, the search for possible solutions has been reignited. The SpaCeParti project, part of the sustainMare research mission coordinated by the Center for Ocean and Society, is testing sustainable use strategies for the conservation of coastal fisheries in the western Baltic Sea in a so-called real-lab approach. Stakeholders from the groups of coastal fisheries, nature and environmental protection, tourism and renewable energies are actively participating in this research project.

Climate change and other human activities influence the occurrence of species and their structure in the Wadden Sea. Given the importance of the Wadden Sea World Heritage for global diversity, it is vital to study the relationships between species in the food web, to consider them in their entirety and to understand how human activities change these relationships and the functionality of the entire ecosystem. In other words, we need to have a closer look at “Who eats whom” and what consequences this knowledge has for the management of the Wadden Sea World Heritage. This question was at the centre of this year’s Wadden Sea Day, held on 25 August in Wilhelmshaven. With 100 policymakers, conservation managers, scientists and partners from non-governmental organizations working in the field the event was fully booked.

Press Release

It has been estimated that over 600,000 tonnes of munitions from the two World Wars were deposited in the waters around Wilhelmshaven. In order to track these down, members of the CONMAR consortium met from 3-6 May 2022 for a series of field trips.
While the focal points of munitions contamination in the Baltic Sea are well researched, the investigations for the North Sea represent a starting point for comprehensive scientific studies. Since the contaminated sites in this area are covered by sediment, the scientists want to find out in what concentrations various explosives and their degradation products occur in sediment, water and living organisms - and whether these concentrations are higher than in comparative areas without munitions.

The reason: the substances are carcinogenic. CONMAR will investigate how they accumulate in the food chain. So far, there is no scientific evidence that this poses a danger to humans. This good news was also brought to the visitors of an information evening on 4 May, where the public was informed about the topic: "Ammunition in the sea".
But what also became clear here: We have learned a lot about munitions in our seas in recent years, but to get a complete picture, a lot of knowledge still needs to be gained.