A shared resource on both shores of the English Channel, cuttlefish will be studied within the framework of an INTERREG project conducted by the University of Caen.

Channel cuttlefish and squid, be warned! You will shortly be placed under close surveillance by English and French universities. Selected by a committee comprised of French and British States and Regions, the INTERREG project entitled, “CRESH” (Cephalopods: Recruitment from English Channel Spawning(1) Habits) will be keeping a close eye on you. “Describing the natural habitat of spawning zones is necessary if we wish to understand which type of sea bed is essential for the renewal these natural resources,” explains Professor Jean-Paul Robin, in charge of the project and scientific director for the Physiology and Ecophysiology of Marine Molluscs (PE2M) mixed UCBN/IFREMER research laboratory at Caen University’s Institute of Fundamental and Applied Biology (IBFA).

Perfectly familiar with European projects on the study of cephalopods, the Caen-based laboratory naturally applied to join an INTERREG IV A project, in the programme’s 4th theme: the sustainable development of shared areas. “The abundance of these species of rapid growth and short lifespan depends on recruitment (the arrival of spawns at an exploitable stage of their development), which is in turn sensitive to environmental fluctuations,” he adds.

Studies are already underway. No less than 7 partners (2) are working together on the project (3), on either shore of the Channel. “We can now benefit from funding and fruitful scientific exchanges. They are indeed challenging projects, but the funding we receive in return enables us to work together towards specific aims,” highlights Jean-Paul Robin.

In the case of cuttlefish and with its sustainable management in mind, the project will enable the observation of spawning beds on both the English and the French coasts, and will lead to the development of tools (biochemical indexes, isotopic signatures, genetic markers, trace elements) aimed at evaluating the contribution of various sectors towards mid-Channel recruitment.

(1) Spawns include eggs and young fish.

(2) Supported by the Lower Normandy Regional Council, the “CRESH” project is symmetrically organised, partners on both shores of the Channel including universities, fishing institutes and representatives from the profession.

(3) The project has been awarded the « Défi Manche » label, among a number of projects in which IFREMER is involved.

Pr. Jean-Paul Robin
UMR-IFREMER-UCBN Physiology and Ecophysiology of Marine Molluscs, I.B.F.A.
University of Caen Lower Normandy
Tél. : 02 31 56 53 95
Web : www.unicaen.fr/lbbm

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