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).
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.
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!