AZTI Foundation, Department of Oceanography and Marine Environment, Technological Institute for Fisheries and Food (Co-ordinator), Spain

Training (provided from AZTI):
Training will be provided in environmental impacts of aggregate extraction and sediment dredging and disposal of dredged material. The training will be centred upon the effects of such activities on the fauna (macrobenthos, fishes) and flora, and water and sediment quality. The use of different methods and indices for the assessment of impacts will be a fundamental part of the training period. Other geophysical tools (e.g. side-scan sonar, RoxAnn, etc.) will be used in conjunction with fieldwork and laboratory analysis, for integrated assessment and the preparation of protocols.

Workload:
Research activities are related mainly to the assessment of environmental impacts (related to benthic communities and fish populations). More specifically, the following points need to be investigated:
- A review and the optimisation of existing tools (Biotic Coefficients, PCA, etc.) for the determination of environmental impacts, upon benthic and fish communities, in estuarine and coastal waters.
- The use, evaluation and calibration of some geophysical tools for an integrated mapping of communities and associated seabed types.
- Environmental Impact Assessment of several cases of aggregate extraction and harbour and estuarine dredging.