Niklas Larson

As scientific leader for the BIAS survey, I am responsible for the full workflow of acoustic monitoring—from data acquisition and processing to the production of standardized, fisheries-independent abundance indices for herring and sprat. These indices support international stock assessments and ecosystem-based evaluations.

My research focuses on methodological development in hydroacoustics, including target strength modeling, survey variance estimation, and abundance analysis of stickleback, particularly within international collaborations such as BIAS and BASS.

I have contributed extensively to the ICES Working Group on Baltic International Fish Surveys (WGBIFS) since 2005, supporting the development of international standards for acoustic survey design, data scrutiny, and methodological refinement. I have also been an active member of WGFAST (Working Group on Fisheries Acoustics, Science and Technology) since 2004.

As co-chair of WGBIFS, I lead initiatives to enhance the quality and consistency of both acoustic and trawl-based surveys, including BIAS and BITS. I have recently initiated efforts to harmonize scrutiny procedures across national programs through inter-calibration exercises and am actively driving quality assurance in acoustic index calculation methods used in the Baltic Sea. I am also responsible for the estimation of survey variance and the randomized selection protocol used in the BITS bottom trawl surveys.

Beyond my scientific work, I was a core member of the project group overseeing the design and procurement of R/V Svea, Sweden’s state-of-the-art fisheries research vessel. My role extended from strategic planning to being key in critical project and procurement decisions, where I contributed to securing the project's success, enhancing the vessel’s technical outfitting, and ensuring its high scientific quality. A key personal achievement was safeguarding the continued involvement of an experienced fisheries research vessel designer—a decisive intervention that preserved continuity and upheld the technical standards essential to the project’s long-term success.

I have over 20 years of experience as an expedition leader, including the design and implementation of new acoustic surveys. My academic background in physics, mathematics, and oceanography is complemented by advanced skills in programming, data management, and reproducible research workflows, using tools such as R, Sweave, LaTeX, and related systems.

My work combines operational leadership with advanced analytical expertise, contributing to the advancement of ecosystem-based monitoring and assessment in the Baltic Sea and beyond.

The part of acoustic theory and sampling in:
https://internt.slu.se/en/nyheter-originalen/2016/10/apply-for-slu-aquas-master-course-principles-of-fisheries-science/

Error related to TS in abundance indicies.

Baltic International Acoustic Survey Report, R/V Svea, Sweden 

WGBIFS

Eros Quesada, Massimiliano Cardinale, Nuno Prista, Valerio Bartolino, Patrik Börjesson, Mikaela Bergenius Nord, Niklas Larson, Annelie Hilvarsson, Katja Ringdahl, Using the Newcomb–Benford law to detect species misreporting in mixed pelagic catches, ICES Journal of Marine Science, Volume 82, Issue 4, April 2025, fsaf044, https://doi.org/10.1093/icesjms/fsaf044

Serena Donadi, Agnes Olin, Michele Casini, Johan Eklöf, Mårten Erlandsson, Ronny Fredriksson, Olavi Kaljuste, Niklas Larson, Jonas Nilsson, Ulf Bergström, Reduced predation and competition from herring may have contributed to the increase of three-spined stickleback in the Baltic Sea, ICES Journal of Marine Science, Volume 82, Issue 2, February 2025, fsae168, https://doi.org/10.1093/icesjms/fsae168

Jens Olsson, Eglė Jakubavičiūtė, Olavi Kaljuste, Niklas Larsson, Ulf Bergström, Michele Casini, Massimiliano Cardinale, Joakim Hjelm, Pär Byström, The first large-scale assessment of three-spined stickleback (Gasterosteus aculeatus) biomass and spatial distribution in the Baltic Sea, ICES Journal of Marine Science, Volume 76, Issue 6, November-December 2019, Pages 1653–1665, https://doi.org/10.1093/icesjms/fsz078

Casini M, Rouyer T, Bartolino V, Larson N, Grygiel W (2014) Density-Dependence in Space and Time: Opposite Synchronous Variations in Population Distribution and Body Condition in the Baltic Sea Sprat (Sprattus sprattus) over Three Decades. PLoS ONE 9(4): e92278. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0092278

Tomas Gröhsler, Rainer Oeberst, Matthias Schaber, Niklas Larson, Georgs Kornilovs, Discrimination of western Baltic spring-spawning and central Baltic herring (Clupea harengus L.) based on growth vs. natural tag information, ICES Journal of Marine Science, Volume 70, Issue 6, September 2013, Pages 1108–1117, https://doi.org/10.1093/icesjms/fst064

ResearchGate: Niklas Larson

Orchid: Niklas Larson