First PERCEBES meeting at Sines, Portugal, 10-11 March

By | 29 March, 2017

Upper row, left to right: Rita Sa (WWF-Portugal), Raul García (WWF-Spain), Teresa Silva (Univ. Evora), Caroline Broudin and Eric Thiebaut (Univ. Pierre and Marie Curie), Jesus Dubert and Henrique Queiroga (Univ. Aveiro), Teresa Cruz, Joana Fernandes and David Mateus (Univ. Evora). Lower row, left to right: Alba Aguión and Elena Ojea (Univ. Vigo), José Luis Acuña (Univ. Oviedo), João Castro (Univ. Evora), Gonzalo Macho (Univ. Vigo), David Jacinto (Univ. Evora)

Representatives from all six universities gathered at the Center for Marine Sciences in Sines, Portugal. This was a very important meeting, because we had to agree on the methods for the upcoming experiment, which we will be conducting simultaneously in Alentejo (Portugal), Galicia and Asturias (Spain) and Britany (France).

Among other things, the group spent a low tide discussing the shape, dimensions, design and even the aesthetics of the cages which will be used for the Human Exclusion Experiment.

We also had to decide a common protocol to sample stalked barnacles at the 16 time series sampling sites. We will be looking for newly settled individuals and recruits in the stalks of adult barnacles, which will allow to derive an estimation of settlement/recruitment intensity. This is crucial to validate our larval transport models.

In the lab, our host Teresa Cruz gave us a quick briefing on sample analysis

We also discussed stakeholder involvement, outreach and dissemination. Note that sampling for the PERCEBES project relies heavily on the barnacle fishers, and they are expected to have a crucial input. It was very nice to count on Rita  Sa and Raul García, from WWF, who gave us an interesting overview of their initiatives for the sustainability of small-scale fisheries. In summary, a very fruitful and enjoyable kickoff meeting which paves the way for a busy summer!