International Symposium on Oceanography of the Bay of Biscay

The XV International Symposium on Oceanography of the Bay of Biscay (ISOBAY 15) was held in Bilbao, from June 22 to June 24, 2016. This biennial symposium is aimed at offering researchers conducting studies on the Bay of Biscay, from open ocean to coastal and estuarine zones, the opportunity to present and discuss their most updated works. With a multidisciplinary nature, the goal is to make a significant contribution towards an integrated knowledge of the Bay of Biscay. The main theme of the 15th edition was Changing Ecosystems: Natural versus Anthropogenic Effects.

Two posters reflecting the work conducted under the scope of the EcApRHA project by the Food Web group (WP3) were presented at ISOBAY 15 by Lara Arroyo Hailuoto and Izaskun Preciado from Spanish Institute of Oceanography:

Poster 1, entitled “Describing the food web of Bay of Biscay’s continental shelf using an OSPAR common indicator: the Mean Trophic Level indicator”, by Safi g., Vouriot P., Arroyo N.L., Féral J.P., Hattab T., Lamare S., Mialet B., Niquil N., Petit L., Preciado I., Serre S., and Le Loc’h F., was presented under the “Biodiversity, ecosystem structure and functioning” topic.

Poster 2, titled: “To what extent is fishing effort affecting the trophic level of the demersal communities at small scale? Preliminary results of a new food web indicator” by Preciado I., Punzón, A., Arroyo, N.L., López-López, L., Serrano A., was presented within the “Anthropogenic effects, quality assessment and ecosystem management” topic.

Both contributions advance in the knowledge and applicability of food web OSPAR indicator FW4 (changes in average trophic level of marine predators), with the aim of making it fully operational at the (sub) regional scale. The progress made will facilitate its use in OSPAR’s Intermediate Assessment 2017.