Start: September 24th, 2023
End: September 28th, 2023
Organised by the Fisheries Research Institute (FRI), Aristotle University of Thessaloniki (AUTH), and Dimokritio Panepistimio Thrakis (DUTH), the EcoScope Summer School titled ‘Oceanography & Fisheries Within The Ecosystem’ will take place in Kavala, Greece between 25th - 29th September 2023.
This free-to-attend summer school will focus on encouraging scientific dialogue and providing an educational experience on the topic of oceanography and fisheries ecosystems. The programme has been designed to facilitate the education of early career oceanographers, marine and fisheries biologists, young researchers, PhD students, and professionals on managing available marine environmental, oceanographic, and fisheries data, with the goal of providing accessible information to relevant end-users and policymakers.
During the programme, early-career scientists will have the opportunity to learn about all stages of Ecosystem-based Fisheries Management in the context of connecting fisheries to oceanography for the sustainable Blue Growth of all EU Seas.
To apply, candidates must submit their CV (using the Europass CV template) and a brief letter of motivation to the Summer School Secretariat (menelaosix@gmail.com & smanousi@bio.auth.gr) by 15th July 2023.
| Time | Topic | Description | Tutor |
|---|---|---|---|
| 09:30 - 11:00 | Introduction to ecocentric fisheries management - The EcoScope project and its outputs | The EcoScope project and its contribution to ecocentric (=ecosystem-based) fisheries management of the European Seas will be presented and the main objectives, novelties, the workplan and progress to date will be illustrated. | Athanassios Tsikliras (AUTH) |
| 11:15 - 13:00 | Linking fisheries to the ocean - Potential Products and Services of EcoScope Platform | Introduction to oceanographic features and patterns that affect fisheries. Plumes, fronts, eddies and upwelling processes will be discussed in the context of learning ecosystems’ characteristics and patterns driving ichthyoplankton dynamics. | Georgios Sylaios (DUTH) |
| 14:30 - 17:00 | Introduction to Oceanographic Databases - The CMEMS and EMODnet Platforms and Products | The lecture will introduce students to the existing products and datasets accessible through the CMEMS and the EMODnet platforms. Data on ocean bathymetry, geology, seabed habitats, meteorology, physic-chemical parameters, waves, currents, etc. will be accessed through these platforms. Methods and tools to easily retrieve and analyse data using Python and R programming will be shown and explained to students. | Nikolaos Kokkos (DUTH) |
| Time | Topic | Description | Tutor |
|---|---|---|---|
| 09:00 - 13:00 | Hands-on oceanographic practical | On-line monitoring of nearshore currents, waves and SPM through deployed ADCP buoys in the Kavala Gulf. Data retrieval and analysis. Ecoscope Platform, data retrieval and analysis. | Georgios Sylaios & Nikolaos Kokkos (DUTH) |
| 14:30 - 17:00 | Satellite image Analysis for Oceanic Fronts Identification | Sentinel 2 level 2 images will be analysed to derive the spatial distribution of Chl-a concentration at sea surface. The spectral signature of each water mass and the occurrence of the main coastal and offshore hydrographic patterns, like ocean fronts, eddies and river plumes on the biophysical parameters will be discussed. | Georgios Sylaios & Nikolaos Kokkos (DUTH) |
| Time | Topic | Description | Tutor |
|---|---|---|---|
| 08:00 - 20:00 | Field Trip to Coastal Fisheries and to the Coastal Lagoons of the Nestos River Delta | This day-long field trip will be an exercise combining team-building and a hands-on experience of local aquatic ecosystems and user communities. It will include onshore sampling from small-scale coastal fisheries vessels, identification of main fishing gears and common fish and invertebrate species. | All tutors |
| Time | Topic | Description | Tutor |
|---|---|---|---|
| 09:00 - 13:00 | Collecting and analysing fisheries data | The data collection framework programme will be presented and the detailed biological an fisheries parameters that are necessary for building a complete and robust dataset for use in stock assessments, the basis of fisheries management. | Kostas Touloumis (FRI) |
| 14:30 - 17:00 | The fisheries of the northern Aegean Sea | A history of fishing in the northern Aegean Sea will be presented along with traditional fishing methods and techniques that are still used today. | Manos Koutrakis (FRI) |
| Time | Topic | Description | Tutor |
|---|---|---|---|
| 09:00 - 13:00 | Fisheries stock assessment and management | The main fisheries stock assessment models used in data-poor areas and the relevant fisheries reference points will be presented and indicators that used to determine the effect of climate and fisheries on marine populations and ecosystems. | Athanassios Tsikliras (AUTH) |
| 14:30 - 17:00 | Ecosystem based fisheries management (EcoScope Academy online course) | Ecosystem models using Ecopath with Ecosim (EwE) represent a static, mass-balanced snapshot of the ecosystem, i.e. the species it contains and their trophic interactions, covering the entire trophic spectrum from lower to higher trophic levels, including catches per fleet. EwE models have been widely used to assess the impact of fishing on marine ecosystems, address ecological questions, and, through temporal and spatial simulations, to explore management policy options and model the effect of environmental, meteorological and oceanographic changes. | Donna Dimarchopoulou (UDal & WHOI) |