The BONUS INSPIRE Project research is conducted in a matrix approach with four species specific cases (cod, herring, sprat and flounder) and five research work-packages.
The work packages deal with
- habitat requirements and survival probability for different life stages
- connectivity between habitat occupied in successive life stages
- spatial scaling from local events to regional population dynamics
- spatially explicit analytical stock assessments (including a comprehensive flatfish programme)
- ecosystem-based management and Marine Strategy Framework Directive indicators.
Moving beyond existing knowledge, the BONUS INSPIRE Project will for the major Baltic fish species take the leap from homogeneous to heterogeneous population dynamics, by accounting for spatial heterogeneity in population models and ecosystem-based fisheries management. Spatial heterogeneity, defined as changes in the abundance of fish over space, which are not explainable by simple random (Poissonian) variability, can have different causes.
The overall approach of BONUS INSPIRE Project is mechanistic in the sense that we aim to understand these causes and the underlying processes generating spatial heterogeneity, but also estimate its magnitude.