Open Marine Archive

tkint, T.

Roelofs, M.

Verstraeten, T.

Vanreusel, A.

Deprez, T.

Parades Coral, E.

Vanblaere, S.

Meerburg, E.

53 
Demo Booth 
MarineTraining.eu – Towards tomorrow’s new blue challenges in Europe's 
Marine and Maritime education landscape  
tkint Tim1, Roelofs Marleen2, Verstraeten Tim2, Vanreusel Ann2, Deprez Tim2, Parades Coral 
Evelyn2, Vanblaere Shanna2 and Meerburg Elise2 
1  Ghent University, Department of Biology, Marine Biology Research Group, Campus Sterre S8, 
Krijgslaan 281, 9000 Gent, Belgium  
E-mail: tim.tkint@ugent.be  
2  Marine Biology Research Group, Ghent University, Department of Biology, Marine Biology 
Research Group, Krijgslaan 281, Campus Sterre S8, 9000 Gent, Belgium 
 
Currently, a skills gap exists between the marine and maritime industry sector and graduated 
workforces from higher education and vocational training institutes. In order to bridge that gap, 
the Belgian node of  the European Marine Biological Resource Centre - a distributed European 
Research Infrastructure Cluster (EMBRC-ERIC, of which Belgium is an associate partner through 
Ghent University, University of Hasselt, Royal Belgian institute of natural sciences and the 
Flanders Marine Institute) has set up a platform that brings together all available marine 
trainings at a European scale, and provides a series of services towards training organizers and 
policy makers. 
 
This comprehensive database focusses both on higher education institutes and vocational 
education institutes and collects existing marine training initiatives for each country, ranging 
from vocational education programs, master and doctoral programmes to expert trainings and 
specialist courses. The platform is expanding by including non-accredited training initiatives via 
involvement in other European projects and networks (MATES, RIGHT, …). Services of the Marine 
Training Platform include advertising possibilities, practical services to trainees and training 
organizers (application and registration) and the support of marine dedicated e-learning 
initiatives. 
 
The Marine Training Platform also promotes the use of innovative technologies. Since 2017 we 
have been organizing workshops about using Arduino in marine sciences. Arduino is an easy-to-
use hardware and software platform with endless possibilities on reading data captured with 
sensors and controlling connected instruments. Via this hands-on training workshops students 
learn to implement this technology and get an understanding of the possibilities of the platform 
and the potential use in research. A next edition of this workshop is planned in spring 2019 (to 
be announced on marinetraining.eu). 
 
Ultimately, the Marine Training Platform wants to enhance competitiveness and innovation 
capacity of the marine and maritime value chain by closing the skills gap between training 
offers and industry needs. 
 
Marine Training Platform is Europe’s leading website for: 
- trainees in search of European Marine and Maritime training initiatives, 
- trainers in search of assistance for organizing European Marine and Maritime training 
initiatives, 
- stakeholders in search of insights into European Marine and Maritime training initiatives 
  
For more information: www.marinetraining.eu 
 
Keywords: Training; Education 
  


MarineTraining.eu – Towards tomorrow’s new blue challenges in Europe's Marine and Maritime education landscape

De Rijcke, M.

Van Haelst, S.

Kleingärter, S.

Ruppenthal, J.

Vandegehuchte, M.

103 
Poster presentation Competition poster 
North Sea Wrecks – a future decision support tool for blue growth 
activities  
De Rijcke Maarten1, Van Haelst Sven1, Kleingärter Sunhild2, Ruppenthal Jens2 and Vandegehuchte 
Michiel1 
1  Flanders Marine Institute (VLIZ), InnovOcean site, Wandelaarkaai 7, 8400 Oostende, Belgium 
 E-mail: maarten.derijcke@vliz.be 
2  Deutsches Schifffahrtsmuseum, Leibniz-Institut für Maritime Geschichte, Hans-Scharoun-
Platz 1, 27568 Bremerhaven, Germany 
 
Throughout history, all kinds of military operations played out on, near or above the North Sea. 
As a result, the North Sea is littered with remnant wrecks and munitions from naval and air 
battles, munition dumps, minefields, aerial bomb ditching, training maneuvers, and shipping 
accidents. The presence of toxicants, such as the chemical constituents of explosives and 
hazardous cargo such as bunker fuel, left inside these deteriorating objects may endanger both 
the environment and citizens working on or living near the sea. With the growing number of 
economic activities in various parts of the North Sea, interactions with wrecks and munitions 
are expected to increase. During operations at sea, like dredging, cable laying or pile-driving 
etc., there may be a risk of encountering munitions or inadvertently damaging shipwreck 
compartments that hold hazardous cargo through direct and indirect contact (e.g. vibrations). 
This can also affect the heritage value of certain shipwrecks. Yet, despite these hazards and the 
transnational nature of the blue growth activities in the North Sea, there is currently no 
universal strategy or approach to assess and mitigate the risks posed by wrecks and 
(associated) munitions. To date, only fragmented risk mitigation actions exist at the national 
level. 
 
The North Sea Wrecks project, which is being funded under priority 3 of the Interreg North Sea 
Region program, intends to develop and provide new tools to marine spatial planners, response 
organizations, economic actors and other stakeholders to assess and propose solutions for risks 
related to wrecks and munitions in the North Sea. Nine partners from five North Sea bordering 
countries - assisted by an advisory board of public authorities for maritime safety and planning, 
scientists and private companies dealing with wrecks and UXO (UneXploded Ordnance) - have 
committed to (1) investigate and describe nationally fragmented data sources on wrecks, cargo 
and munitions, (2) develop a comprehensive risk assessment methodology for wrecks and 
munitions in the North Sea, based on VRAKA – a probabilistic risk assessment method for 
potentially polluting wrecks in the Baltic (Landquist et al., 2016) – , and (3) deliver 
recommendations to policy makers and Blue Growth entrepreneurs as a first stepping stone 
towards improved transnational collaboration. The project will combine archival research with 
in situ hazard and exposure assessments, toxicological studies, and (GIS-based) ecosystem 
impact assessments. A travelling exhibition will present results of the project and will contribute 
to the sensibilisation campaign. 
 
Keywords: Wrecks; Munitions; Pollution; Risk assessment 
  


North Sea Wrecks – a future decision support tool for blue growth activities

De Baere, K.

Willemen, R.

Meskens, R.

Luyckx, D.

Potters, G.

94 
Poster presentation Competition poster 
Analysis of corrosion rates on wreckage steel: A model exercise in the 
North Sea  
De Baere Kris1, Van Haelst Sven2, Willemen Remke1, Meskens Raf1, Luyckx Deirdre1 and Potters 
Geert1 
1  Hogere Zeevaartschool Antwerpen (HZS), Noordkasteel-Oost 6, 2030 Antwerpen, Belgium 
 E-mail: kris.de.baere@hzs.be 
2  Flanders Marine Institute (VLIZ), InnovOcean site, Wandelaarkaai 7, 8400 Oostende, Belgium 
 
The bottom of our North Sea is studded with ship- and other historic wrecks ranging from 18th 
century till present times.  228 identified have been identified and 62 are still anonymous. Not 
surprisingly most date from the first and Second World War. These wrecks tell a story and it is 
important that these memories are protected. In 2013, Belgium ratified the UNESCO Convention 
on the Protection of Underwater Cultural Heritage and at present twelve wrecks are protected in 
Belgian waters. All wrecks of more than 100 years old obtain this special status automatically. 
However, protecting wrecks should also entail conservation for future generations. Without 
protection, corrosion wins and these wrecks, together with their story, will disappear. A key 
element enabling the selection of most appropriate preservation method is the knowledge of 
the actual corrosion rate. 
 
The most appropriate model able of predict corrosion rates over a period of more than 100 
years is the multiphase model of Melchers (2008). It is completely empirical and makes a 
distinction between the aerobic and the anaerobic phase of the corrosion process. For 
immersion times, the model is complex and involves a combination of aerobic and anaerobic 
(microbiological) corrosion processes; however, after a set and calculable time point ts (15 years 
for the North Sea), the corrosion loss becomes a linear function of time: 
 
Total corrosion loss = cs + (t-t0)*rs 
 
with cs = intercept of the linear anaerobic corrosion function on the corrosion loss axis, t = time 
(in years), t0 = the time period between sinking and coating failure (in years), and rs = the 
apparent anaerobic corrosion rate; cs and rs can be inferred from actual corrosion 
measurements. 
 
The Melchers model was adopted to long term North Sea conditions by changing 2 parameters 
being the average seawater temperature and the dissolved inorganic nitrogen (DIN) 
concentration. An average seawater temperature of 12.5°C was calculated based on data 
obtained from the Flemish Marine Institute. The anaerobic corrosion rate (rs) is 0.053mm/year at 
12.5°C without taking into account the influence of the N concentration. Melchers (2013) also 
provides a correction factor Rp based on the Dissolved Inorganic Nitrogen (DIN) in the sea water 
(set between 0.3mgN/L (OSPAR, 2017) and 1.4mgN/L (Janssen, 1993). 
 
Rp = ratio between corrosion loss with and without the influence of microbiological activity as a 
function of dissolved inorganic nitrogen (DIN). 
 
In order to subsequently validate the North Sea adaptation of the Melchers model, thickness 
measurements were performed on four wrecks in the Belgian part of the North Sea: the cargo 
ships Garden City (sunk in 1969) and Birkenfels (1966), the German WW I submarine U11 (1914) 
and the French destoyer Bourrasque (1941). The wrecks were chosen based on the ease of 
access (at 30 meters below the sea surface), and on the availability of the original construction 
plate thickness (data which are either lost or hidden in enclosed military archives). 
95 
Underwater plate thickness measurements were performed using a Cygnus M2-Dive with the S2C 
single Crystal Probe. 
 
A preliminary analysis shows that the Melcher’s anaerobic corrosion rate of 0.054mm/year 
(12.5°C) is overrated. A more realistic North Sea value is most probably somewhere in the 
neighborhood of 0.025mm/year. Moreover, MIC appears not to be involved, which corresponds 
with XRD and DNA analysis on historic submerged steel artefacts. 
 
References 
- Janssen, G. (1993) H2O 26, 86-91. 
- Melchers, R. (2013) Corrosion 69(1), 95-103 
- Melchers, R. E. (2008). Ship and Offshore Structures 3(2), 135-144. 
- OSPAR. (2017). Third OSPAR Integrated Report on the Eutrophication Status of the OSPAR 
Maritime Area, 2006-2014 
 
Keywords: Corrosion rate; Historic wrecks; Multi-phase long term model; MIC; Anaerobic 
corrosion  


Analysis of corrosion rates on wreckage steel: a model exercise in the North Sea

Shankar Poti, M.

Long, S.L..

Rusli, M.U.

Hugé, J.

Mohd Jani, J.

Dahdouh-Guebas, F.

9 
Oral presentation Master Thesis Award 2018 
Changing culture: Factors influencing sea turtle egg consumption in 
Redang Island, Malaysia  
Shankar Poti Meenakshi1,2,3,4, Long Seh Ling5, Rusli Mohd Uzair4,5, Hugé Jean2,6, Mohd Jani Jarina3 
and Dahdouh-Guebas Farid1,2  
1  Systems Ecology and Resource Management Research Unit, Université Libre de Bruxelles 
(ULB), Campus de la Plaine, Avenue F.D. Roosevelt 50, CPi 264/1, 1050 Brussels, Belgium 
E-mail: meenakshipoti@gmail.com 
2  Plant Biology & Nature Management, Vrije Universiteit Brussel (VUB), Boulevard de la Plaine 
2, 1050 Ixelles, Belgium  
3  School of Marine & Environmental Sciences (PPSMS), Universiti Malaysia Terengganu (UMT), 
Universiti Malaysia, 21030 Kuala Terengganu, Terengganu, Malaysia 
4  Sea Turtle Research Unit (SEATRU), Universiti Malaysia Terengganu (UMT), Universiti Malaysia, 
21030 Kuala Terengganu, Terengganu, Malaysia 
5  Institute of Oceanography and Environment, Universiti Malaysia Terengganu (UMT), Universiti 
Malaysia, 21030 Kuala Terengganu, Terengganu, Malaysia 
6  Centre for Environmental Sciences, University of Hasselt, Campus Diepenbeek Agoralaan 
Building D, 3590 Diepenbeek, Belgium 
 
Sea turtles in Malaysia have faced serious population declines due to multiple anthropogenic 
stressors; one of the key stressors being the direct consumption of their eggs. On Redang Island, 
a primary nesting site for green turtles (Chelonia mydas) in Malaysia, turtle eggs have been 
consumed for centuries. In the past, the local community was dependent on the eggs for their 
livelihood through a licensed collection system. Owing to the precipitous decline in sea turtles, 
the main nesting beaches were protected as sanctuaries in 2004, prohibiting egg collection from 
these beaches. Between 1996 to 2014, a local awareness program was initiated for grade 5 
school students (age 11 years) educating them on sea turtle conservation. At the end of the 
program the children pledged to stop consuming turtle eggs. Our study investigated the 
prevalence, influencing factors and impact of the awareness program on egg consumption. 
Respondent perceptions towards egg consumption and conservation were also explored. Data 
were collected through interviews in 73 households in the Redang village. Based on the 
respondents’ perceptions, our findings suggest that the consumption of turtle eggs has 
decreased since the initiation of protection measures. Using logistic regression, we found that 
older people and past egg collectors were more likely to consume turtle eggs. Attending the 
awareness program resulted in a significant decrease in egg consumption in the younger age 
groups. Turtle egg consumption in Redang is predominantly influenced by cultural factors linked 
to age and taste preferences rather than economic factors. The perceptions towards the 
conservation of sea turtles were positive, primarily due to the locals recognising that turtle 
populations would go extinct without protection. Moreover, a rapid growth in the local tourism 
sector has served as an economic alternative to egg harvesting. The respondents recognised the 
importance of sea turtles for tourism, showing that species values are changing. We 
recommend future efforts to focus on restarting tailored awareness programs, targeted at all 
age groups and locals employed in the tourism sector. 
 
Keywords: Sea turtles; Human-nature interactions; Sea turtle eggs; Cultural services; 
Conservation; Education; Awareness; Interview; Social-ecological system 
  


Changing culture: Factors influencing sea turtle egg consumption in Redang Island, Malaysia

Wu, M.

Arboleda Chavez, C.E.

Stratigaki, V.

Troch, P.

158 
Poster presentation Competition poster 
Large-scale experimental modelling of scour protection around wind 
turbine monopile foundations  
Wu Minghao, Arboleda Chavez Carlos, Stratigaki Vicky and Troch Peter 
Department of Civil Engineering, Faculty of Engineering and Architecture, Ghent University, 
Technologiepark 60, 9052 Zwijnaarde, Belgium 
E-mail: minghao.wu@ugent.be  
 
Introduction  
 
Offshore wind farms contribute significantly to contemporary renewable energy production. To 
ensure the safety of the wind turbine structure and reduce the installation cost, the design of 
the foundation is crucial. When exposed to waves and currents, the wind turbine foundation 
faces the risks of scouring, therefore, an armour layer protection is usually applied to prevent 
the scouring hole around the monopile foundation. Experiments with scale models of monopiles 
in physical wave flumes are proved to be a powerful way to estimate the performance of the 
scour protection layer. Previous research by De Vos et al. (2012) has resulted in the proposal of 
scour protection design formulae for both static and dynamic stability, while the extended work 
of Loosveldt and Vannieuwenhuyse (2012) analysed the feasibility of the design method using a 
wider range of environmental conditions. As scale effects exist in small scale model test and 
may lead to an over conservative design, the large scale modelling is necessary to investigate 
the relationship between the ocean conditions and corresponding armor layer damage. 
Therefore, within a European Hydralab+ research project, large-scale physical modelling of 
monopile foundation with scales of 1:8.33 and 1:16.66 has been carried out in the Fast Flow 
Facility (FFF) infrastructure of HR Wallingford. The Coastal Engineering Research Group of Ghent 
University is coordinating this project, with partners from the University of Porto, the Ludwig-
Franzius-Institute for Hydraulic, Estuarine and Coastal Engineering, IMDC NV and HR Wallingford. 
 
Objectives  
 
These large scale tests have been conducted during May and July in 2018. The main objective of 
this research is to establish a benchmark dataset on the stability of scour protection around 
monopile foundations which will serve as a valuable reference for future wave flume model 
tests, for numerical validation purposes and for future foundation design. The hydrodynamic 
data is recorded by various high resolution instruments and the scour protection profiles are 
measured by underwater laser scanner. Based on the data processing, several researches are 
being carried out after the experiments. Firstly, different damage evaluation methodologies 
proposed by participating partners will be compared and analyzed, this helps to establish a 
proper economic concept for scour protection design. Secondly, the scale effects between 
previous small tests and current large scale tests are to be analyzed and quantified which would 
reveal the fundamental mechanism of the physical process. Thirdly, the performance of narrow-
graded and wide-graded single layer protection will be tested and compared. Moreover, as 
combined wave and current conditions are applied, the research will investigate the 
hydrodynamic interactions between waves and currents based on laboratory data as well as the 
impact on scour protection stability. 
 
Acknowledgement  
 
The work described in this publication is supported by the European Community’s Horizon 2020 
Research and Innovation Programme through the grant to HYDRALAB-PLUS, Contract no. 654110. 
159 
Moreover, the first author would like to acknowledge his PhD funding through a Special 
Research Fund of UGent, (BOF). 
 
References  
- De Vos, L., De Rouck, J., Troch, P., Frigaard P. (2012). Empirical design of scour protections 
around monopile foundations. Part 2: Dynamic approach. Coastal Engineering 60:286-298. 
- Loosveldt N., Vannieuwenhuyse K. (2012). Experimental validation of empirical design of a 
scour protection around monopiles under combined wave and current loading. MSc thesis, 
Ghent University. 
- Schendel, A., Goseberg, N., Schlurmann, T. (2015). Erosion stability of wide-graded quarry-
stone material under unidirectional current. Journal of Waterway, Port, Coastal, and Ocean 
Engineering. 
 
Keywords: Scour protection; Wind turbine monopile foundations 
  


Large-scale experimental modelling of scour protection around wind turbine monopile foundations

Delgado, C.

Reed, G.

Pissierssens, P.

58 
Demo Booth 
OceanTeacher Global Academy: Delivering IOC capacity development for 
the ocean we need for the future we want  
Delgado Claudia, Reed Greg and Pissierssens Peter 
UNESCO/IOC Project Office for IODE , Wandelaarkaai 7/61 - B-8400 Oostende - Belgium 
E-mail: c.delgado@unesco.org  
 
The OceanTeacher Global Academy (OTGA) is a global network of Regional Training Centre’s 
(RTCs) delivering training on ocean sciences, services and management using the OceanTeacher 
e-Learning Platform. 
 
The main goal of OTGA is to promote the sharing of training resources and expertise related to 
ocean sciences in a coordinated way, and that serve all IOC Member States capacity 
development needs. It does so by promoting the establishment of RTCs that can better address 
the training needs of the IOC Regions, provide training in local/regional language(s) whilst 
focusing on locally relevant case studies. The OTGA has currently a network of 9 RTCs across the 
globe, using 4 languages for training, with the possibility of expansion in the future. 
 
The OceanTeacher e-Learning Platform enables the sharing of standardised, quality training 
contents in a coordinated framework. It is a comprehensive web-based training platform that 
supports classroom training (face-to-face), blended learning and online (distance) learning. 
 
Courses cover a range of topics related to the IOC programs, contributing to the IOC Mandate 
and the implementation of the IOC Capacity Development Strategy, enabling equitable 
participation of all IOC Member States and IOC Programs. Furthermore, OTGA contributes to the 
Agenda 2030 and its Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), including SDG 4, 5, 9, 10, 13, and 14. 
As of 2019 onwards, OTGA will focus on developing training courses focusing on the 
implementation of the SDG 14, including topics such as Ocean Acidification and Ocean Carbon, 
Marine Spatial Planning, but also others such as Operational Oceanography, Marine Scientific 
Research and the United Nations Law of the Sea (UNCLOS), Guidelines on the Transfer of Marine 
Technology (TMT), etc., besides updating already existing training courses on topics such as 
Marine GIS Tools and Applications, Ocean Data Management, Research Data Management, 
Marine Biological Data (OBIS related), etc. 
 
All OceanTeacher content is freely and openly available and is licensed under a 
CreativeCommons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International License. 
 
Besides the IOC Programmes and its Member States, other users of the OceanTeacher e-
Learning Platform include UGent, EMODnet, VLIZ, POGO, AWI, etc… 
 
The UNESCO/IOC Project Office for IODE obtained its certification as a Learning Services 
Provider (ISO 29990:2010) in 2018. The OceanTeacher Global Academy is a Project of IOC/IODE, 
Oostende, supported by the Flanders-UNESCO Trust Fund for Science (FUST) of the Government 
of Flanders, Belgium. 
 
Keywords: Capacity Development; IOC; Training; SDGs; Ocean Sciences; Online 
  


OceanTeacher Global Academy: delivering IOC capacity development for the ocean we need for the future we want

Plevoets, T.

Robert, H.

Kochzius, M.

Schön, I.

130 
Poster presentation Competition poster 
Reconstructing population histories and biogeography of Antarctic 
Charcotia (Amphipoda, Crustacea)  
Plevoets Tim1,2, Robert Henri2, Kochzius Marc1 and Schön Isa2 
1  Onderzoeksgroep Mariene Biologie (VUB), Pleinlaan 2, 1050 Brussel, Belgium 
 E-mail: Tim.Ingrid.Plevoets@vub.be 
2  Koninklijk Belgisch Instituut voor Natuurwetenschappen, Afdeling Zoetwaterbiologie, 
IRScNB/KBIN, Vautierstraat 29, 1000 Brussel, Belgium 
 
Historically, Antarctica underwent many environmental changes throughout time. Glaciation and 
deglaciation periods forced organisms to adapt to new conditions, undergo extinctions, or 
migrate. During glaciations, migrations occurred to different refugia such as the deep sea, ice-
free regions of the Antarctic continent and sub-polar regions. These refugia created barriers 
with reduced gene flow and increased diversification and speciation. Now, Antarctica is 
undergoing new alterations induced by global warming and ocean acidification. The RECTO 
(Refugia and Ecosystem Tolerance in the Southern Ocean) project investigates the historical 
dynamics forced by previous glaciation periods and possible responses to future climate 
change. One part of the project reconstructs the population history of different taxa from 
various trophic levels. Here, we will specifically focus on the amphipod genus Charcotia 
(formerly known as Waldeckia sp.), of which two species are investigated: C. obesa and C. 
amundseni. Both species are scavenging amphipods, and are morphologically and genetically 
distinct. They most likely also have different bathymetrical distributions, with C. amundseni 
being more abundant at larger depth. The population history and biogeography will be 
reconstructed from different localities in the Southern Ocean with molecular tools, including 
sequencing the COI DNA barcoding region, to construct haplotype networks and test for cryptic 
diversity. We will also apply Next-Generation-Sequencing (NGS) techniques to unravel the 
complete mitochondrial genome of these amphipod species. Sequence data from complete 
mitochondrial genomes will allow us to design primers for long-range PCRs to obtain 
mitogenomic data from different populations of both species. This way, phylogenies for 
reconstructing the evolutionary history will be statistically better supported. Possible 
differences in mitochondrial genomes between species could also be non-neutral and indicate 
specific temperature adaptations. The latter will be assessed by comparisons with mitogenomes 
of closely and more distantly related Crustaceans from Antarctica. 
 
Keywords: Amphipoda; Antarctica; Population history 
  


Reconstructing population histories and biogeography of Antarctic <em>Charcotia</em> (Amphipoda, Crustacea)

Deconinck, D.

Volckaert, F.

Hostens, K.

Robbens, J.

Derycke, S.

97 
Poster presentation Competition poster 
Should we trust the names of fish sold to us? An in-depth analysis of 
adulteration throughout the Belgian fisheries industry  
Deconinck Dumas1, Volckaert Filip2, Hostens Kris1, Robbens Johan1 and Derycke Sofie1 
1  Animal Sciences Unit, Aquatic Environment and Quality, ILVO, Ankerstraat 1, 8400 Oostende, 
Belgium 
 E-mail: dumas.deconinck@ilvo.vlaanderen.be 
2  KU Leuven, Laboratorium voor Biodiversiteit en Evolutionaire Genomica (KULeuven-LBEG), 
Charles Deberiotstraat 32 bus 2439, 3000 Leuven, Belgium 
 
As the fisheries industry continues to aggrandise and consumers press to receive reliable and 
accurate product information, more rigid regulation of labelling and control mechanisms of 
food products throughout the fisheries industry are needed. The removal of certain 
deterministic traits such as fins or the head causes a major problem for accurate identification 
of species in fish products. In addition, fish in prepared meals or fish soup are impossible to 
identify using traditional methods. DNA barcoding forms a solution for these processed food 
products and has already shown to be successful at revealing adulteration of several fishes. This 
method involves amplifying and sequencing a small biomarker fragment of DNA from the 
samples and comparing the sequence to a reference database with sequences of known species. 
These databases, however, are prone to mistakes due to a lack of curators and additionally the 
species names used in this database are not always compendious. In this study, a reference 
database with COI (Cytochrome oxidase 1) and Cytb (Cytochrome b) mitochondrial genes was 
created to serve as a reliable platform for barcode sequences of European seafood species. This 
database contains voucher specimens collected across various European seas (and rivers) which 
are photographed and morphologically identified to species level by taxonomic experts. This 
ensures sequences are linked to the correct species. Thus far the database contains 81 COI 
sequences and 77 Cytb sequences from 24 fishes spanning 11 families, which are regularly 
consumed in Europe or frequently used as adulterants. Phylogenetic trees and the distribution 
of intra- and interspecific P-distances show these genes’ strengths as barcoding sequences. COI 
displays a clear barcoding gap and indicates that using a threshold of 2 to 5.2% divergence will 
give a 100% correct species identification. Cytb displays some overlap between species, but still 
indicates that a threshold of 4.5 to 4.6% divergence will give an error rate of 0,18% which is well 
within a 95% confidence interval. Most adulteration studies have focused on the end point of 
the food chain. Our approach is to assess more precisely where and how adulteration takes 
place along the whole food chain. For this, we will thoroughly map out all steps in the fish 
processing chain. Once we have a clear overview of the different steps we will sample a selected 
number of fishes at various points along the supply chain. Gadus morhua and Solea solea are 
consistently among the most preferred fishes for consumption by Belgian consumers and are 
consistently among the most landed fish. Both fishes are also expensive, making them prone to 
adulteration. In addition, there is a substantial amount of imported fish in Belgium, especially of 
round fish, which are suspects to be adulterants of cod. The application of DNA barcoding will 
unveil the prevalence of fishery product adulteration in the Belgian market and the factors 
influencing adulteration (such as times transferred, type of supplier, distance from ocean, price 
or processing type) of fish products in the Belgian market. 
  
Keywords: Seafood; Adulteration; Fraud; Authentication; Traceability; DNA barcoding; COI; Cytb; 
Reference database; Fish; Cod; Sole; Fisheries industry 
  


Should we trust the names of fish sold to us? An in-depth analysis of adulteration throughout the Belgian fisheries industry

Vandepitte, L.

Vanhoorne, B.

Decock, W.

Lanssens, T.

Verfaille, K.

Dekeyzer, S.

De Pooter, D.

Waumans, F.

Deneudt, K.

Hernandez, F.

64 
Demo Booth 
The LifeWatch Taxonomic Backbone: How can it help you with your 
research and how can you help to make it more complete?  
Vandepitte Leen, Vanhoorne Bart, Decock Wim, Lanssens Thomas, Verfaille Kevin, Dekeyzer 
Stefanie, De Pooter Daphnis, Waumans Filip, Deneudt Klaas and Hernandez Francisco 
Flanders Marine Institute (VLIZ), InnovOcean site, Wandelaarkaai 7, 8400 Oostende, Belgium 
E-mail: leen.vandepitte@vliz.be 
 
The LifeWatch Taxonomic Backbone facilitates the standardization of species data, and the 
integration of the many distributed databases and data systems. It – virtually - brings together 
different component databases and data systems, dealing with five major components: (1) 
taxonomy, through regional, national, European, global and thematic databases, (2) 
biogeography, based on databases dealing with species occurrences, (3) ecology, in the form of 
species-specific traits, (4) genetics and (5) literature, by linking all available information to the 
relevant sources and through tools that can intelligently search this literature. The development 
of the LifeWatch Taxonomic Backbone started in 2012 and has now entered it maintenance 
phase. The content of the taxonomic and biogeographic components still grows on a daily basis 
and efforts are being made to document traits information and to link all components with 
available literature. 
 
The LifeWatch Taxonomic Backbone offers a whole range of services to the scientific community, 
which can support them in answering specific ecological questions that have so far not been 
dealt with due to the lack of accessibility, availability, standardization and linking of data. Both 
easy-to-use online tools and web services allow scientists e.g. to compare their own data with 
already collected data from the same or similar regions, to check whether any of the taxa in 
their database is still known under that name or to see whether any of their listed species is e.g. 
tagged as an endangered or alien species. 
 
The LifeWatch Taxonomic Backbone is offering tools and functionalities which are often 
developed based on identified needs within the scientific community. In addition, scientists can 
also contribute themselves to make it more complete. Feedback on e.g. taxonomy and traits is 
highly appreciated and communicated with the involved experts of the different component 
databases. And all distribution information collected by individual scientists can become part of 
the biogeographic component of this backbone, e.g. by contributing occurrence data with the 
biogeographic component of the system. 
 
We will demonstrate the content and functionalities of the LifeWatch Taxonomic Backbone, 
including e.g. the World Register of Marine Species (WoRMS), the Interim Register of Marine and 
Non-marine Genera (IRMNG), the European Ocean Biogeographic Information System (EurOBIS) 
and the many available web services related to these systems. 
 
Keywords: LifeWatch Taxonomic Backbone 
  


The LifeWatch Taxonomic Backbone: How can it help you with your research and how can you help to make it more complete?

Goossens, J.

Reubens, J.

Torreele, E.

15 
Oral presentation Pre-doc level 
What moves European sea bass?  
Goossens Jolien1, Reubens Jan2, Torreele Els3 and Moens Tom1 
1  Universiteit Gent, Onderzoeksgroep Mariene Biologie (UGent-MARBIOL), Campus De Sterre S8, 
Krijgslaan 281, 9000 Gent, Belgium 
  E-mail: jolien.goossens@ugent.be 
2  Flanders Marine Institute (VLIZ), InnovOcean site, Wandelaarkaai 7, 8400 Oostende, Belgium 
3  Animal Sciences Unit, Fisheries and Aquatic Production, ILVO, Ankerstraat 1, 8400 Oostende, 
Belgium 
 
The poor state of the data-deficient European seabass (Dicentrarchus labrax) in the southern 
North Sea calls for an informed fisheries management to protect the intertwined ecological and 
socio-economic stakes at risk. The highly mobile seabass is known to move from shallow, 
inshore feeding grounds in summer to deeper waters offshore in search of warmer 
temperatures in winter for spawning. Knowledge on these spatiotemporal changes in movement 
behaviour and distribution is critically limited for seabass in the southern North Sea. 
 
The cutting-edge technology of the acoustic data storage tag (ADST) enables the observation of 
fish movements in the wild. The transmitted acoustic signal of ADSTs can be detected by 
receiving hydrophones, whenever the tagged fish roams within its detection range. Tag recovery 
allows to access the data-storage part and reconstruct individual depth and temperature 
records stored on the tag itself. From 2018 to 2020, 100 sea bass, caught by hand-line fishing in 
the Belgian Part of the North Sea, will be tagged with ADSTs (so far 40 have been tagged). 
 
This PhD project aims to better understand seabass spatial dynamics in Belgian waters and the 
southern North Sea. Therefore, habitat use and seasonal migrations will be investigated and 
related to patterns in sea bass exploitation. As a final objective, the observed spatiotemporal 
dynamics will be translated into fisheries management recommendations. Here, the first results 
from sea bass detections on the LifeWatch acoustic receiver network will be discussed. 
 
Keywords: Dicentrarchus labrax; European sea bass; Movement ecology; Electronic tagging; 
Acoustic telemetry  


What moves European sea bass?

Flanders Marine Institute

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