Project
Function of the Wadden Sea for eel
Every three years, the progress of the Dutch eel management plan needs to be evaluated. To do so, an extensive assessment of the eel status in the Netherlands is carried out. Due to lack of information on the eel status in marine water, the Netherlands reports on the freshwater only.
Summary
European eel is one of the species in strong decline in the Wadden Sea. Knowledge on the extent to which eel use the relatively large inter-tidal area of the Wadden Sea is so far lacking. In this project we want to record how, when and how long eel use the Wadden Sea and especially investigate the function of sub-tidal structures. With the current attention on enhancing the development of sub-tidal structures potentially this could benefit conditions and expand living habitat for eel. In the proposed study we benefit from two existing projects that provide an excellent basis for the study of an additional species: in the Swimway project an acoustic receiver network was established covering the western Wadden Sea, currently used to track sea bass and mullet and an awarded TKI project providing ship time and potential for acquiring eel to employ with transmitters. Knowledge on the whereabouts of eel will help to further underpin management advice.