Shellfish researchers discuss impacts of climate change
DNA samples for the SUSFISH project were obtained from crabs provided by local fishermen.
21 October 2011
In the last week of September, as Aberystwyth basked in unseasonable heat, researchers from Wales and Ireland met to discuss the impacts of climate change upon the sustainability of Irish Sea shellfisheries.
The meeting was hosted by IBERS researchers as part of the €2.9 SUSFISH project, funded by the Ireland Wales Cross Border Territorial Cooperation Programme (INTERREG 4A).
SUSFISH brings together researchers from the Universities of Aberystwyth, Bangor and Swansea in Wales and University College Cork in Ireland to conduct interdisciplinary research into the biology, ecology, physical oceanography and economics of Irish Sea shellfisheries. The eventual aim is to produce guidelines for sustainable management of the fisheries based on sound scientific evidence and economic assessment.
Topics discussed at September’s meeting included the integration of population genetic data with particle tracking models of larval dispersal, the roles of parasites and hyperparasites in regulating shellfish populations and the likely effects of marine protected areas on the productivity and sustainability of shellfish populations.
“This project has brought together researchers from a range of different disciplines, all concentrating their efforts on one geographical region” says Joe Ironside, leader of the IBERS research team “We anticipate that this will produce social, economic and environmental benefits for the region, as well as establishing the Irish Sea as a model system for future shellfish research” .
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