Acronym COCKLES
Category
Fisheries
Title Cooperation for restoring cockle shelfisheries and its ecosystem services in the atlantic area Programme Interreg V
Instrument (FP6)
Contact Type (FP7)
Strand (Interreg)
NA
Theme (FP7)
Activity Area (FP6)
Regional Area (Interreg)
Action (COST)
NA
Specific Programme (FP7)
NA
Funding source European Coordinator Rosa Fernandez Coordinator email NA
Coordinator institution
CETMAR - Centro Tecnológico del Mar - Fundación CETMAR (Spain)
Institutions involved
NA - Bangor University (United Kingdom) ,
GEMEL - Estuarine and Littoral Environments Study Group (France) ,
IPMA - Portuguese Institute for Sea and Atmosphere (Portugal) ,
NA - Regional Government of Galicia (Spain) ,
NA - University of Bordeaux 1 (France) ,
UNICAEN - University of Caen Normandy (France) ,
ULisboa - University of Lisbon (Portugal) ,
USC - University of Santiago de Compostela (Spain) ,
Start year 2017 End year 2020 Funding (€) € 3,615,578 Website https://keep.eu/projects/19334/Cooperation-to-recover-cock-EN/ Summary "Cockles have meaningful environmental, societal, cultural, as well as economic benefits to coastal Atlantic communities, they’re a delicacy of the Atlantic gastronomy and an asset for tourism. In terms of protected areas, the cockle is a key species for many top predators, such as finfish or waders. The COCKLES project produced outcomes and tools that can be used to restore and increase cockle production and the services it provides in the Atlantic Area. It was possible to assess the health, diversity, and inter-relationships of cockle populations across the Atlantic regions by characterising population dynamics, genetic diversity, and larval transport.
Genetics research provided the basis for resistant strains and for the conservation of the genetic diversity of the populations, both at macroscale and with a case study at a lower scale in Galicia. Major threats were identified and characterised, such as diseases and invasive species. A comprehensive set of guidance, data tools, and documents gathering also best practices for producers, administrations, and environmental agencies were produced.
The knowledge on such products was capitalised and disseminated to key stakeholders, especially represented by the associated partners. They increased their capacity to exploit the available scientific knowledge and to manage this valuable resource under more sustainable patterns. The societal and cultural benefits from ecosystem services provided by cockles were assessed, quantified, and transformed into a user-friendly spreadsheet tool.
COCKLES partners were also able to deliver guidance and knowledge sharing through mutual learning, especially happening through project meetings, stakeholder workshops, training, and conferences. Joining research efforts, sharing best practices and knowledge across the Atlantic partners, involving stakeholders, led to more sustainable management and enhanced the appreciation of the cockles within the Atlantic Area regions.
""The project is an excellent example of the contribution that scientific analysis can make to the protection of biodiversity” extract of the report from the visit of the European Court of Auditors to the COCKLES project."
Keywords
Biology;
Genetic;
Population dynamic;
Shellfish;
Restoration;
Selective breeding;
Bivalve;
Seed production;
Mollusc;
Marine Region
38
Portuguese Waters (27.IXa,27.IXb)
1
Marine Region Map
