SPHERE · Small Pelagic fish Habitats, Ecology and Resource Evaluation

Small pelagic fish (SPF) are ecologically and economically important, forming a crucial link in marine food webs by transferring energy from plankton to top predators, as well as humans worldwide. Their abundance and distribution are highly sensitive to environmental variability and fishing pressure, making them key indicators of ecosystem health and essential for sustainable fisheries and marine management. SPHERE aims to develop an integrated understanding of SPF population dynamics across their life cycles, focusing on the combined effects of internal processes and external drivers—environmental and anthropogenic. The central hypothesis is that these factors influence reproduction, growth and survival and should be incorporated into stock assessment and management. Using an interdisciplinary comparative approach across European seas, SPHERE will model the population dynamics of three commercially important species—(sardine, herring and sprat) to identify ecological responses and enhance scientific advice for stock assessments and management. More specifically, the project integrates high-resolution data and cutting-edge statistical tools to analyse life-stage connectivity and phenological mismatches in the food web—critical factors for recruitment and population resilience. The novelty of our proposal lies in the innovative use of fisheries data that are traditionally limited to stock assessment purposes. To carry out this research, the fellow builds on her background and the resources provided by host expertise on fishery science, ecology and ecosystem models. This combination of expertise is unique, and provides a milestone for the fellow’s career towards being an independent scientist of high international visibility. Ultimately, SPHERE presents an intersectoral component because it will strengthen European leadership in climate-informed marine science advice and support the necessary transition towards ecosystem-based fisheries management.