162
masses intermingle. The physical confi guration
(e.g. bathymetry, coastline) of the English
Channel contributes to specifi c hydrological
structures (fronts, gyres, etc.) that control advection and the dispersal of marine organisms or
pollutants.
The exploitation of natural resources (living
resources such as exploited marine species but
also mineral resources such as marine aggregates) generates substantial added value at
national and European levels. As a result, there
has been an increasing societal and public
demand from the governance (European Union,
national governments and regional councils),
industries (e.g. fi shing and marine aggregate
sectors of activity) and nongovernmental organisations to provide a sound and integrated scientifi c support to ecosystem-based management
in the English Channel. Of particular interest to
the various stakeholders is the exploration of
the English Channel ecosystem responses to
global change.
An ecosystem-based approach to marine
resources management requires the synthesis of
existing scientifi c knowledge and its integration
to new research. Such an approach is expected to
improve the scientifi c basis to advice-giving and
management. Key processes such as the interactions between species, between management
strategies and exploited species, between environmental damage and the rest of the ecosystem
and interactions between confl icting human
activities cannot be understood by investigating
each ecosystem component in isolation, but
rather by exploring all aspects of the marine ecosystem, including the various sectors of activity,
in an integrated fashion.
This objective requires a coordination of
efforts and expertise by both scientists and
stakeholders through international and multidisciplinary projects to address the challenges
of the Marine Strategy Framework Directive
and of its national implementations. Such a
trans-régional approach also consists of harmonising information, regulations and habits in
terms of ecosystem management in the English
Channel.
The English Channel ecosystem has been
investigated by several research teams. Some
European projects have fostered a multidisciplinary
approach targeted at marine living resources by
integrating works carried out in the past 30 years
including novel approaches to the spatial modelling
of ecosystems. In this context, several scientifi c
studies have engaged in the English Channel and
the Southern North Sea to investigate:
• The assessment of key fi sh species
• The characterisation of their habitats
• The development of predictive modelling
tools to evaluate the impact of human activities on the ecosystem
• The contribution of the ecological niche in
structuring commercial fi sh communities
• The distribution and characteristics of spawning areas
• The biogeographic identifi cation of sole, red
mullet and sea bass
• The dynamics and strategies of fi shing fl eets
• The dynamics and consequences of
Phaeocystis blooms
• The modelling of rivers inputs from the Seine,
the Somme and the Escaut
• The trophic capacities and resilience of the
ecosystem following planned or unplanned
human perturbations
The objective of the ecosystem approach is therefore to understand more globally, at the scale of
the Eastern Channel basin, the characteristics and
the functioning of habitats and of the living
resources they are home to. It will then become
possible to apply an ecosystem approach to the
management of marine resources in a broad sense
(living, but also mineral and energetic resources)
and to mitigate the pressure exerted by the different human uses and their adaptation to the ecosystem production capacities.
In this context, a multidisciplinary scientifi c
initiative called the Channel programme was
initiated in 2007, with the aim of increasing the
knowledge on, and of better managing, this
marine cross-border area. We present in this
study the main objectives and provide insights
into research projects that have contributed to
these objectives since then.
P. Marchal et al.
masses intermingle. The physical confi guration
(e.g. bathymetry, coastline) of the English
Channel contributes to specifi c hydrological
structures (fronts, gyres, etc.) that control advection and the dispersal of marine organisms or
pollutants.
The exploitation of natural resources (living
resources such as exploited marine species but
also mineral resources such as marine aggregates) generates substantial added value at
national and European levels. As a result, there
has been an increasing societal and public
demand from the governance (European Union,
national governments and regional councils),
industries (e.g. fi shing and marine aggregate
sectors of activity) and nongovernmental organisations to provide a sound and integrated scientifi c support to ecosystem-based management
in the English Channel. Of particular interest to
the various stakeholders is the exploration of
the English Channel ecosystem responses to
global change.
An ecosystem-based approach to marine
resources management requires the synthesis of
existing scientifi c knowledge and its integration
to new research. Such an approach is expected to
improve the scientifi c basis to advice-giving and
management. Key processes such as the interactions between species, between management
strategies and exploited species, between environmental damage and the rest of the ecosystem
and interactions between confl icting human
activities cannot be understood by investigating
each ecosystem component in isolation, but
rather by exploring all aspects of the marine ecosystem, including the various sectors of activity,
in an integrated fashion.
This objective requires a coordination of
efforts and expertise by both scientists and
stakeholders through international and multidisciplinary projects to address the challenges
of the Marine Strategy Framework Directive
and of its national implementations. Such a
trans-régional approach also consists of harmonising information, regulations and habits in
terms of ecosystem management in the English
Channel.
The English Channel ecosystem has been
investigated by several research teams. Some
European projects have fostered a multidisciplinary
approach targeted at marine living resources by
integrating works carried out in the past 30 years
including novel approaches to the spatial modelling
of ecosystems. In this context, several scientifi c
studies have engaged in the English Channel and
the Southern North Sea to investigate:
• The assessment of key fi sh species
• The characterisation of their habitats
• The development of predictive modelling
tools to evaluate the impact of human activities on the ecosystem
• The contribution of the ecological niche in
structuring commercial fi sh communities
• The distribution and characteristics of spawning areas
• The biogeographic identifi cation of sole, red
mullet and sea bass
• The dynamics and strategies of fi shing fl eets
• The dynamics and consequences of
Phaeocystis blooms
• The modelling of rivers inputs from the Seine,
the Somme and the Escaut
• The trophic capacities and resilience of the
ecosystem following planned or unplanned
human perturbations
The objective of the ecosystem approach is therefore to understand more globally, at the scale of
the Eastern Channel basin, the characteristics and
the functioning of habitats and of the living
resources they are home to. It will then become
possible to apply an ecosystem approach to the
management of marine resources in a broad sense
(living, but also mineral and energetic resources)
and to mitigate the pressure exerted by the different human uses and their adaptation to the ecosystem production capacities.
In this context, a multidisciplinary scientifi c
initiative called the Channel programme was
initiated in 2007, with the aim of increasing the
knowledge on, and of better managing, this
marine cross-border area. We present in this
study the main objectives and provide insights
into research projects that have contributed to
these objectives since then.
P. Marchal et al.