DIRECT Project

Predicting the impacts of river reconnection, biological invasions and climate change for the conservation of endangered cold-water fishes in Europe.

• How do invasive fish behave differently at their invasion front vs. their established range?

• What are the ecological interactions between invasive barbel and native salmonids (competition, food overlap, habitat use)?

• How will river reconnection (e.g. fish passes) and climate warming affect future invasion dynamics and native fish conservation?

River Teme (UK) as a natural experimental site:

• Invasive barbel (Barbus barbus).

• Native Atlantic salmon (Salmo salar, endangered in the UK) and brown trout (Salmo trutta).

• River barriers and fish passes as key features.

• Host institution: Bournemouth University (UK).

• Researcher: Dr. Phillip J. Haubrock.

• Supervisor: Prof. John Britton.

• Supporting institutions and networks (Senckenberg, University of South Bohemia, etc., from your CV

Europe’s rivers face multiple pressures: dams and barriers block fish movements, invasive species spread rapidly, and climate change warms freshwater habitats. The DIRECT project investigates how reconnecting rivers to help endangered cold-water fishes, like salmon and trout, may also unintentionally support invasive species expansion. Using cutting-edge tracking and ecological modeling, DIRECT aims to guide smarter river management for a sustainable future.

• Biotelemetry: acoustic tags to track fish movements and temperature use.

• Stable isotope analysis: studying feeding and competition.

• Agent-Based Models (ABMs): simulations predicting long-term scenarios (1–50 years) under climate change and management strategies.

• Knowledge gains: better understanding of invasion ecology and fish behavior.

• Practical outcomes: predictive tools for policymakers and river managers.

• Broader impact: contributes to EU Biodiversity Strategy 2030 and conservation of iconic species like salmon

• This project has received funding from the European Union’s Horizon Europe Marie Skłodowska-Curie Postdoctoral Fellowship programme (Grant Agreement No. 101203662).