Benthos laboratory

Our team is developing methods to (semi) automatically detect the presence of benthic species (both individual species and assemblages of species) on various types of imagery. Examples are video images of North Sea benthic surveys or drone images of mussel beds that have fallen dry.

First of all, fauna present on the images are identified, counted, measured or mapped. Secondly, methodological rules for detection, which are important for obtaining standardised results, are incorporated into the methodology, so that unambiguous information is obtained that meets the detection requirements. By carrying out checks and learning about new species, the methods are constantly being improved and broadened. Work is also being done on identifying abiotic properties, such as the presence of gravel, sand or silt.

The Wageningen Marine Research benthos team is pioneering the molecular identification and quantification of species. This technique is particularly efficient in the analysis of plankton samples from, for example, ballast water or the monitoring of fish and shellfish larvae.

The Wageningen Marine Research benthic team is connected to an environmental laboratory where physical and chemical analyses are carried out. The environmental chemistry lab has a number of biochemical determinations. This lab also has a mesocosm garden, in which risk assessments can be carried out.

The Wageningen Marine Research benthic team pays close attention to quality management. In addition to described procedures, the team is affiliated with a European ring test scheme (NMBACQ), making the taxonomic analyses comparable to those of laboratories throughout Europe. The laboratory maintains its own reference collection and stores examined samples for several years. This storage period can be extended in accordance with the client's wishes.