Lake Intercalibration Presented by Sandra Poikane Joint Research Centre Institute for Environment and Sustainability

Lake GIGs Central Baltic Fish East Cont Mediterranean Fish Phytoplankton Macrophytes Benthic invertebrates Mediterranean Fish

Central Baltic Fish Lead by Germany (Almost) all MS participate: BE-F, CZ, DE, DK, EE, FR, LT, NL, PL LV - started to participate CZ – participating unofficially ? UK plan to adopt the Irish / Dutch fish classification tool (eDNA method is planned in future)

Central Baltic Fish different sampling / metrics Solution – TAPI index = pressure index Will be used as Common Metrics

Central Baltic Fish Review : Questions on MS assessment Asking more detailed reporting GIG plans: TAPI finalization - Dec 2014 Next meeting - January 2014 IC finalization – May 2015

Eastern Continental RO and HU Phytoplankton, macrophytes, benthic fauna Results-Review-Response-Plans

Eastern Continental Phytoplankton Results: RO and HU Phytoplankton assessment methods Eutrophication Direct comparison

Eastern Continental Phytoplankton Review: Reference sites / benchmark sites Setting Reference conditions Suggestions for improving RO method

Eastern Continental Phytoplanton Response to Review: Thorough and objective review Work on reference /benchmark sites Improving RO method Results: December 2015

Eastern Continental Macrophytes Results: RO and HU Common assessment method eutrophication and degradation Intercalibration “Option 1”

Eastern Continental Macrophytes Review: Reference conditions/sites Boundary setting Suggestions for improving method

Eastern Continental Macrophytes Response to Review: Detailed answers Refining ref condition setting Refining the macrophyte methods Results: May 2015

Eastern Continental Benthic fauna Results: RO and HU Benthic invertebrate assessment methods Nutrients, organic load+other Direct comparison

Eastern Continental Benthic fauna Review: Reference sites / benchmark sites Not finalised pressure-response relationships

Eastern Continental Benthic fauna Response to Review: finalising pressure-response relationships to check and clarify RC and boundary setting Results: April 2015

Eastern Continental Three GIGs – work is going on: Romania and Hungary

Eastern Continental Common problems: We used ref sites to set ref cond Reference sites / conditions Benchmark sites Do we have reference sites ? We don’t have any We used ref sites to set ref cond

Eastern Continental Collaboration necessary ! Review points for all GIGs - similar GIGs have to work more together Compare and discuss views Common understanding

Mediterranean Fish Natural lakes: Italy, France - assessment methods No IC common type - IC not possible

Mediterranean Fish Reservoirs: Italy, France, Romania - assessment methods under development IC possible in the near future

Spain – Fish – lakes and reservoirs

Spain – Fish – lakes and reservoirs: to exclude fish BQE from ecological assesment

Spain – Fish – lakes and reservoirs To exclude some BQE ? Arguments No response to pressures High natural variability Agreement within GIG Review panel opinion

Spain – Fish – lakes and reservoirs: to exclude fish BQE from ecological assesment Low taxa richess Redundant with phytoplankton Mostly alien species Expensive sampling

Spain – Fish – lakes and reservoirs: to exclude fish BQE from ecological assesment Med GIG opinion Review 1 WISER project Review 2

Spain – Fish – lakes and reservoirs: to exclude fish BQE from ecological assesment Med GIG Opinion: disagree Review 1: partial agreement, more studies needed WISER Project: disagree Review 2: disagree

to different pressures Alien species can be used Spain – Fish – lakes and reservoirs: to exclude fish BQE from ecological assesment Low number of species is not an obstacle Low taxa richess Fish respond to different pressures Redundant with phytoplankton Alien species can be used to assess pressures Mostly alien species Hydroacoustics Expensive sampling

Mediterranean Fish GIG Discussion/agreements necessary ! Within Mediterranean GIG: France, Italy Within Spain Scientific projects going on

Summary CB Fish – results 2015 Necessary MS active contributions LV – assessment method ? CZ – to clarify the situation GIG leader support

Summary East Cont – results 2015 Achievable if MS active contribution GIG leaders supported + collaboration between EastCont GIGs