Acronym COMANCHE
Category
Fisheries
Title Ecosystem interactions and anthropogenic impacts in populations of scallops Jacques Channel Programme National Programme
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 National Coordinator Eric FOUCHER Coordinator email Eric.Foucher@ifremer.fr
Coordinator institution
IFREMER - French Research Institute for Exploitation of the Sea (France)
Institutions involved
LEMAR - Marine Environmental Sciences Laboratory (France) ,
SBR - Roscoff Biological Station (France) ,
NA - UMR AMURE (France) ,
UNICAEN - University of Caen Normandy (France) ,
Start year 2010 End year 2014 Funding (€) € 980,000 Website http://wwz.ifremer.fr/defimanche/Projets/En-cours/COMANCHE Summary The king scallop Pecten maximus is currently the most important species in landings (both in tonnes and also in monetary terms) for the French inshore fleet of the English Channel. The main exploited layers, within the Bay of the Seine and the Bay of Saint-Brieuc, have been scientifically assessed over a period of several years. Many specific studies on this species have been conducted, but to date no global research which considered the entire set of research topics, from the comprehension of the biological phenomenon to the economic aspects related to the fisheries has been undertaken. The COMANCHE project (Ecosystem interactions and anthropogenic impacts on king scallop populations in the English Channel) falls under this logic. It aims to improve our knowledge on scallop at the level of the whole English Channel, through an ecosystem approach to fisheries, by calling upon a large range of scientific disciplines (physics, chemistry, genetics, ecology, geostatistics, modelling, economics...). The project aims to better characterize the spatial distribution of the king scallop at the English Channel scale, and better understand the mechanisms of connectivity between the main factors affecting larval dispersal. The temporal fluctuation of recruitment will also be studied in relation to environmental variables. The relationships of the king scallop with its ecosystem will be addressed by studies on the dynamics of its food, and especially the conditions of the appearance of toxic blooms which affect scallop populations. This project also aims to model individual growth and population dynamics according to food and abiotic environment fluctuations. Moreover, the complex interactions between king scallop and one of its competitors, the slipper-limpet, will be investigated so the impact of this invasive species can be determined. Finally, the fishing activity of scallop will be studied with the aims of quantifying its impact on the ecosystem and analysing the economic performance of the channels supported by the different layers of the English Channel. The project COMANCHE will be of interest to scientist as it will provide new knowledge in the field of the ecosystem approach to fisheries (the publication of the results in international journals is planned, as well as a broad dissemination for the scientific community). The results will also be of interest to policy makers, by proposing new tools of decision-making within the scope of sustainable management of scallop stocks in the Channel.
(1) Federate many fields (physics, biology, ecology, economics, geostatistics, modelling ...) around an ecosystem approach focusing on a species in its environment; (2) To develop methods to identify different populations of King scallop in the Channel, and their inter-relationships; (3) To develop a hydrobiological model able to simulate toxic micro-algae blooms; (4) To associate different modelling approaches in order to understand better the mechanisms of the development of King scallop populations; (5) To measure the ecological and economic impacts of the exploitation of this species.
Keywords
Shellfish;
Biology;
Mollusc;
Bivalve;
Population dynamic;
Economy;
Impacts;
Physical disturbance;
Environmental impact;
Scallop;
Marine Region
9
Western English Channel (27.VIIe)
4
Eastern English Channel (27.VIId)
2
Marine Region Map
