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Energy crisis in Baltic cod and co.: How eutrophication and climate change alter food webs in the Baltic Sea

Once the staple fish of Baltic Sea fisheries, now a stock in permanent crisis - the eastern Baltic cod (here fishes in a net cage for research purposes). Photo: Annemarie Schütz, Thünen Institute of Baltic Sea Fisheries

The eastern Baltic cod stock is in crisis since years. Despite historically low fishing pressure, it is not recovering. A conclusive explanation for this is still lacking. Scientists from the Leibniz Institute for Baltic Sea Research Warnemünde and the Thünen Institute of Baltic Sea Fisheries now proved for the first time that the food web for cod has lengthened in Baltic Sea regions with large-scale blooms of filamentous blue-green algae, which increasingly occur due to eutrophication and climate change. The cod population therefore has far less energy available than in areas without blue-green algae blooms. If the nutrient regime does not improve, the eastern Baltic cod will not recover. Read original publicaion »


Download full joint PDF press release by
Leibniz Institute for Baltic Sea Research Warnemünde
Thünen Institute

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application/pdf 20240327_press_Cod_Foodweb_Lengthening_en.pdf (600.3 KiB)

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