Texel – Researching fish in the Wadden Sea

The field trip “Texel – Researching fish in the Wadden Sea” is sold out. If you are interested in being placed on a waiting list, please feel free to reach out to Neža at neza@fishmigration.org

About the field trip

The Wadden Sea is important for many fish species. Fish make use of the shallow coastal sea during certain periods of their life, but many species also spend part of their life elsewhere. For instance, species like plaice, sole, and herring utilize the Wadden Sea as a nursery during spring and summer,
while sea bass, mullet, and dab come to forage, some during the warmer months and others in colder seasons. Meanwhile, species such as flounder, hooknose, and bull trout are year-round residents.

Because we still have a limited understanding of the role of the Wadden Sea for different fish species, the project Waddentools Swimway Waddenzee (Waddentools Swimway Waddenzee – Swimway) was initiated. In the project a life-approach is chosen and different species and habitats are investigated.

Researchers from the Royal Netherlands Institute for Sea Research (NIOZ) are actively engaged in this project. With a legacy spanning nearly a century NIOZ is a well-established institution conducting research on oceanography, marine ecosystems, and environmental changes in the Wadden Sea and other marine areas. The research facilities of NIOZ are situated on the Wadden Sea island Texel.

This excursion will take you all the way along the Dutch coast to the island of Texel. We will traverse the UNESCO World Heritage site Wadden Sea and visit NIOZ’s research facilities on Texel. We will get the opportunity to learn more about fish-related research in the Wadden Sea and might even get a glimpse of the daily catch of the fyke, which is used for long-term monitoring.