Royal Netherlands Institute for Sea Research

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Seabirds & Fish

NIOZ is one of the founding fathers of the European Seabirds at Sea database, an international initiative that was established in the early 1980s and aimed at mapping resources of charismatic megafauna throughout the North Sea. Atlases covering the entire study area throughout the year could be published. The surveys were combined with experimental studies to assess the significance of commercial fisheries discards for seabirds. Current studies are around recent GPS tracking studies and in which the habitat requirements of individual birds can be evaluated in a context of fisheries and or natural resources.

Multi-scale movements

Multi-scale movements

Study | Since the breeding season of 2008 we have tracked 79 adult Lesser Black-backed Gulls breeding in the Kelderhuispolder on the Island of Texel.

The Impact of pulstrawl fishery

The Impact of pulstrawl fishery

Project | The overall aim of this project is to assess the long-term impact of the commercial application of pulse trawls in the North Sea flatfish fishery.

Monitoring beached bird surveys

Monitoring beached bird surveys

Project | Since 1997 each winter period areas in the Dutch North Sea has been monitored on the occurrence of oil pollution in seabirds.

Harbour porpoises

Harbour porpoises

Info | Studies on Harbour porpoises nowadays focus on apex predators and their ecological interrelationships within the North Sea and coastal waters.

Diet of Gulls

Project | There is no dispute about the international importance of the Coastal area and Wadden Sea for myriads of migratory waterbirds.

Variability in larval settlement

Variability in larval settlement

Project | The flatfish Plaice (Pleuronectes platessa) spawns in the southern and eastern North Sea, and the English Channel.

Spisula subtrunca in coastal waters

Spisula subtrunca in coastal waters

Project | The sea duck is a protected bird species for which the conservation objective for coastal waters is set at a carrying capacity of 68,500 wintering ducks.

Using isotopic indicators

Using isotopic indicators

UU-NIOZ project | Using isotopic indicators to identify foraging history and nutritional condition prior to stranding of Phocoena phocoena.

Sand Eel; unknown makes unloved

Sand Eel; unknown makes unloved

Info | Despite its obscurity, sand eel is one of the most important, if not the most important, fish species in the North Sea ecosystem.