Conference on the Wadden Sea Day 2011 highlights the key role of the fish fauna for the Wadden Sea World Heritage food web
The unique ecosystem of the Wadden Sea, which for the most part has been inscribed into the UNESCO World Heritage list, is used by fish as spawning, breeding and foraging grounds. The shallow waters of the Wadden Sea serve as an acclimation area and transit route for long-distance migrants from the North Sea to their spawning grounds located in fresh water. The conference further tended to highlight the ecological importance of fish for the Wadden Sea and the importance of the Wadden Sea for its fish inhabitants. The experts also discussed natural and human factors that may influence the development of fish population, reflected in the Quality Status Report for the Wadden Sea in 2009.
The conference marked the first step towards the harmonization of existing monitoring data from all three countries, within which the provision of the necessary measurement data of the monitoring programs must be ensured. The cooperation is particularly important in view of the current legislation and the implementation of EU directives regarding fish. The presentations of leading scientists provided an overview of results from different monitoring programs, management programs, as well as already completed research projects. Based on these results it will be possible to close certain knowledge gaps and reveal the areas, where further research is required. Furthermore, the experts gave recommendations for future management issues concerning fish in the Wadden Sea.
"There is a large amount of research concerning fish in the separate areas of the Wadden Sea. One of the main tasks of the trilateral cooperation is to combine these data like a puzzle in order to obtain a comprehensive picture of the fish trends and to determine the factors that influence them," - says Jens Enemark, Head of the Common Wadden Sea Secretariat. - "This conference has suggested further areas that require intensified scientific cooperation between the Wadden Sea countries and introduced new tasks for the Cooperation".
