Reproductive potential of garfish in the Wadden Sea

The garfish Belone belone (‘geep’ in Dutch) is a large predatory needlefish that migrates from the open ocean to coastal areas to reproduce in late spring. The Wadden Sea is one such coastal ecosystem, where garfish are observed in the spring and autumn time series of a long-running fyke program by the NIOZ. Already for 60 years, the NIOZ carries on this fyke fishery at the entrance from the North Sea to the Wadden Sea and collects information from the fish catches, including the length distribution of the catch, individual weight, reproductive status, stomach contents, and liver weights. Analyzing this data will make it possible to document the migration of garfish and to determine to what extend this species relies on the Wadden Sea as a nursery ground.

To contribute to this project, you will work with research assistants on the daily monitoring of the fish catches and perform analysis on the historical dataset.

Requirements

We are looking for two MSc students to conduct their theses on this topic with an ideal start date in March 2024, but an earlier start may be possible.

Contact

Please contact Dr. Anieke van Leeuwen (anieke.van.leeuwen@nioz.nl) or Dr. Katharina Alter (katharina.alter@nioz.nl), for more details about the project and about working at the NIOZ on Texel.