Application deadline: 13 April 2026
This course is organized to familiarize novice and experienced users with the core principles of the Ecopath with Ecosim modelling approach, with a focus on application, particularly in the context of ICES science and advice.
The course will cover the core software components, including:
Ecopath: an approach to simulate a mass balanced snapshot (often one year) of a marine food web and the flow of energy between trophic levels and fisheries.
Ecosim: a temporal dynamic modelling approach to simulate changes in marine food webs over time, in response to human and environmental drivers.
Ecospace: a spatial-temporal modelling approach used to simulate spatial management plans and their impacts on the spatial structure and function of marine food webs.
The course will also receive a guest lecture on the use and development of RPath.
The course will be given in the context of development within ICES, including the integration of ecosystem-informed science into advisory products such as ICES Ecosystem Overviews and catch opportunity advice. We will also touch on the process of model validation and review which has previously been carried out for EwE models assessed by the ICES Working Group on Multispecies Assessment Methods (WGSAM).
Level
We welcome participants from all backgrounds. An understanding of marine ecology and R are beneficial; however, the software is user friendly and designed for interdisciplinary use and participatory approaches. The course is open to novice and experienced users of the EwE approach.
Main target audience
The course is aimed to marine scientists interested in Ecosystem-Based Management, Ecosystem-Based Fisheries Management, and ecosystem modelling.
Past Events
- ICES Training Course: Introduction to Stock Assessment 2026, Copenhagen, Denmark, 1-5 June 2026
- ICES Training Course: Introduction to mapping and spatial analysis with R, Copenhagen, Denmark, 25-29 May 2026