Ecological modelling techniques applied on the data collected for the prediction of future scenarios in the BPNS.

Three different methodologies where used: 

• Mechanistic approach: Habitat suitability maps for the pelagic fish with an emphasis on the Belgian part of the North Sea. The modelling technique used was the mechanistic approach.
• Data driven approach: It utilizes maximum entropy modelling to derive species-environment relations. Biological input data was derived from ICES International bottom trawl surveys, International herring larvae surveys and Mackerel and Horse Mackerel Egg surveys. Environmental layers were derived from CMEMS (https://doi.org/10.48670/moi-00021, https://doi.org/10.48670/moi-00058, https://doi.org/10.48670/moi-00020) and EMODNet
• Climate-induced habitat suitability maps, delving deep into the intricate relationships between changing environmental conditions and the distribution of pelagic fish.