Projects Areas
Video: Tracking fish habitat for a dynamic fisheries management
Identification of essential fish habitat by the JRC contributes to the establishment of fish stock recovery areas (Article 8 of the Common Fisheries Policy) and paves the way for a dynamic fisheries management and healthier fisheries sector.
Habitat animations with tagged bluefin tunas
These animations detail the dynamics of preferred feeding habitat of the Atlantic bluefin tuna developed by the EC-Joint Research Centre with, as an overlay, the locations of bluefin tunas equipped with an electronic tag. These examples demonstrate the performance of the habitat modelling since the tag locations were not used to calibrate the model. It furthermore provides key information on the species behaviour and distribution to be used to improve the stock estimate and define sustainable fishing quotas.
| This electronic tag was deployed by AZTI (Spain) on a juvenile bluefin tuna for two years. This exceptionally-long tag allowed to follow the fish migration between its summer feeding ground in the Bay of Biscay (NE Atlantic) and its winter exploration for new habitat in the Azores area on the first year and in the Canadian part of the Gulf Stream on the second year. The fish would certainly have fully crossed the Atlantic on the third year as the adults usually do following the Gulf Stream that acts as an ecological bridge. | Two electronic tags were deployed by IFREMER (France) during summer in the Gulf of Lions for one year on young adult bluefin tunas. This animation shows that both fish follow the seasonal habitat contraction and expansion as they spread in the Mediterranean Sea in winter and spring while they come back to the Gulf of Lions in summer, in the most important feeding ground as emphasized by the habitat prediction. |
Details of the modeling approach
Background Methodology Maps Collaborations Publications & Press release Water column habitats of key marine species
ARCHIVE OF HABITAT MAPS (Windows and Linux)
DATA ACCESS OF MONTHLY MEAN HABITAT @ JRC DATA CATALOGUE
(Atlantic bluefin & skipjack tuna species, fin whale, hake nurseries)
Habitat data are available for research on request, please contact:
jean-noel.druon@ec.europa.eu
Other habitat maps and data at NOAA Atlas of the Gulf of Mexico (bluefin tuna) and at EMIS (Environmental Monitoring Information System) in European Seas (bluefin tuna)
Generic index of potential fish productivity (description)
Operational Mitigation of Juvenile by-catch
(daily update at 16.00 Central European Time)
Real-time mapping of bottom trawling preferable avoidance
based on habitat estimation of hake nurseries (Druon et al. 2015)
Download real-time maps: full resolution image (.png), or Google Earth (.kmz) for zooming in your area.
EN: Download presentation to MEDAC (07/06/2016).
IT: Scaricare la presentazione di Mazara del Vallo (14/10/2016).
FR: Téléchargez la présentation de Sète (13/12/2016).
Send to jean-noel.druon@ec.europa.eu a recipient email address to daily receive the map in both formats.
Visualize animation for:
Other example of operational habitat mapping
Potential habitat of fin whale is daily produced in near-real time and sent to a restricted list of users (below with two weeks delay, 3-day composite, click on the image for a larger view):
