As a follow-up on the last years monitoring of hard substrate related macrofauna and macro-algae communities in the intertidal zone of a selection of estuaries with the focus on exotic species within the frame of SEFINS (Safeguarding the Environment from Invasive Non-native Species), Ecoauthor will continue the monitoring the coming weeks in the Dutch part of the Western Scheldt. The monitoring as commissioned by the NVWA (Netherlands Food and Consumer Product Safety Authority) will focus in 2016 more on non-native species distributions along the estuarine gradient whereas in 2015 amongst others a comparison was made of locations in- and outside marinas. We are of course very interested to see if we can find ‘new’ species and make a comparison with the non-native species distributions as observed in 2015.

Transect monitoring near Breskens (Western Scheldt, the Netherlands) in 2015.

Transect monitoring near Hunstanton (the Wash, England) in 2015.