dr. T (Tobias) van Kooten

I have over 20 years’ experience as a theoretical ecologist. My key scientific expertise is in modelling the dynamics of fish and invertebrate populations and communities.

At Wageningen Marine Research I lead the Ecological Dynamics team, a group of ~10 scientists working on the population and community effects of human activities in marine and freshwater ecosystems.

Examples of our applied work in the last years include

• effects of the landing obligation on harvested fish stocks,
• consequences of marine protected areas for the interaction between fish and fishery,
• effects of bottom trawling on the seafloor ecosystem,
• the consequences of turbine collisions and habitat loss from offshore wind farms for seabird populations.

In these areas, we have conducted fundamental research through collaboratons with universities, developed and conducted state of the art analyses and mathematical models, and adviced government on related policy issues.

As a group, much of our research is focused on understanding how individual behavior (movement, feeding, body growth, etc.) is affected by anthropogenic disturbance, and how this leads to effects on the population and community level.

Over the years, I have succesfully acquired and led large research and consultancy projects (>1M€) for governmental and industry clients.