Jul 14, 2023

Is Dresden now by the sea? - Clancy INTERREG North-Sea-Region

The estuary of the Elbe into the North Sea on the one hand and the Chinese mitten crab, which has been living in the lower and middle reaches of the river for a longer time, on the other hand, have led to scientists from TU Dresden now working on an "INTERREG North-Sea-Region" project.

In the five-year project "CLANCY", a research community of Belgian, French, Swedish and German partners is cooperating. In Germany, the Technical University of Dresden and the Alfred Wegener Institute in Bremerhaven are participating in the project, which is funded with almost 4.7 million euros from European funds. They are all dedicated to the question of how the spread and damage caused by the Chinese mitten crab (Eriocheir sinensis), which is classified as an invasive species, can be minimised in European inland waters. In the project, the partners want to gain knowledge about the distribution, genetic characteristics and rheotactic behaviour of the neozoa. To this end, traps will be set up in all participating regions, which will be adapted to the different local conditions and operated.

The TU Dresden, Institute of Hydraulic Engineering and Hydromechanics (Chair of Hydraulic Engineering), is placing a special focus on the hydraulic and morphodynamic conditions in the vicinity of the traps with the aim of systematically identifying and optimising potential trap sites. In this context, it is also planned to set up and operate a trap in the Dresden stretch of the Elbe, which is thus the longest distance (approx. 600 km) from the North Sea.