Degree projects

Seabirds in the Spotlight: Transforming Tourist Photographs into Valuable Data on Seabirds

Bachelor’s Thesis (15 ECTS) 

Estimating population size and examining long-term trends in seabirds is important for conservation and management, but it is difficult to make accurate estimates. Current estimation methods primarily rely on boat and aerial surveys (e.g., using drones) or capture-recapture techniques (e.g., bird ringing). In addition to being time-consuming and potentially disturbing to the birds, the accuracy and repeatability of such surveys are low.

This project is a citizen science initiative aimed at monitoring seabird populations (e.g., common guillemots, razorbills) living on Stora Karlsö (the second oldest nature reserve in the world) through contributions from visitors. The project is based on standardised photographs taken by visitors with their smartphones at the most visited location on the island.

Using an advanced computational process (AI object detection), standardised photographs will be transformed into population data that will be used to understand seabirds’ daily movements and assess their population size. This study will enable long-term and more accurate assessments of seabird populations and contribute to monitoring changes that may impact seabird species in the Baltic Sea. The project will involve image annotation, model training, and data analysis.

The work will take place in Ultuna, Uppsala, and will be supervised by Quentin Queiros (quentin.queiros@slu.se) and Jonas Hentati-Sundberg (jonas.hentati-sundberg@slu.se).

Seals and cormorants - Top predators in Swedish waters

Suggestions of degree projects

The suggested topics are suitable for master student projects. The projects can include field work, lab work, literature studies, data analysis and scientific writing.

The contents and scope of the work can be discussed and adapted to prevailing conditions.

Background

The populations of seals and cormorants in Sweden have increased in size and distribution during the last decades.

Consequently, requirements and needs of information about the ecological roles of seals and cormorants have increased, e.g. for inclusion of top predators in ecological models and for development of ecosystem-based management. In addition, conflicts with fish conservation biology and coastal fisheries have intensified.

At present, relevant information on prey choice and abundance of these predators and their impact on fish stocks is insufficient.

Diet analysis of seals and cormorants

• Diet variability
• Methodology (DNA, image analysis)

Monitoring of seals and cormorants

• Photo-ID
• Camera surveillance
• Regional monitoring, e.g. in marine protected areas
• Abundance estimates

Predator-prey dynamics

• Prey selectivity
• Correlations between diet data and fish monitoring data

Contact:

Bachelor projects in biology (15 ECTS)

Ecology and management of the European eel, several projects available!

Background

The European eel, Anguilla anguilla, is red listed as critically endangered due to a steep population decline. Current management efforts aim to reverse this negative development. There are many knowledge gaps regarding everything from ecology, behaviour, and physiology to development of stock assessment parameters. You can help us fill these knowledge gaps!

We have a great variety of bachelor degree projects and research training/internship related to evaluating and synthesising information about ecology, management and data collection of the European eel. There are also opportunities to assist in lab work and field activities, such as tagging, fyke-net fishing, dissections, and more (although keep in mind that this can
be difficult to fit within a 15 hp project!).

Project examples

• Evaluating tagging and tracking data of eels in river systems, lakes and in the sea. Students can be involved in the tagging and tracking procedures, depending on time availability. Topics that can be addressed include survival (fisheries induced survival, hydropower induced mortality), movement, long distance migration, etc.
• Improve data collection programs. To monitor the eel stock, data is collected on a number of variables, such as landings, individual length, parasite prevalence, age, etc. Since data collection is time consuming and costly it is important that it is efficient. Any improvements that can be made to the monitoring programs are highly valuable, including 3R aspects.
• Evaluation of management activities such as restocking and fisheries regulations.
• Behavioural and physiological studies.

The work will be supervised by Dr Josefin Sundin and Dr Philip Jacobson. Depending on the project, the student should have an interest in fish ecology, behavioural ecology, fisheries science, data analysis, statistics, and scientific writing.

Location

At the Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences (SLU Aqua) in Drottningholm (Stockholm), Uppsala-Ultuna, or Öregrund. Several projects can also be done online.

15-30-60 points

Background

Biodiversity degradation has caused a growing and urgent need for coastal marine restoration. In Sweden, the number of high-quality habitats for marine and coastal species has been steadily declining with no marine habitats achieving favourable conservation status in the most recent status update. The need for measures to reduce negative effects on ecosystems is recognised by the Nature Restoration Regulation (NRR), which aims to halt biodiversity and habitat loss across the EU by restoring at least 30% of the total area of marine habitat types not in good condition by 2030, and at least 60% by 2040. To achieve this we need to know where restoration is needed and what measures will be most effective. 

The project

There are several parts to this project that can be done independently depending on your interests and the skills you would like to develop.

Review of indicators for restoration measures

So far, guidelines for determining and measuring restoration success, e.g. Society of Ecological Restoration indicators, have not been implemented in a Swedish marine context. This is a literature review to collate information on potentially useful indicators (ecological, social and economic) from scientific and grey literature and develop an assessment criteria for these indicators, for example are they applicable across different types of restoration, spatial and time scales, communicable, flexible across restoration goals, addressed cumulative effects, consistent with national and EU reporting. This work can be taken further by surveying practitioners, managers and scientists to assess their responses on how useful the indicators are for different projects. These results will be used to develop guidelines for use of the indicators for different restoration contexts.

Mapping natural values and pressures

Appropriate site selection for restoration is essential to long-term success and to prioritise restoration measures on a national scale. This study involves collating maps of natural values and pressures from multiple sources along the Swedish coast and will require communication with other Universities, County Boards and Municipalities to obtain information. This project requires prior experience with GIS and being comfortable working with spatial information. You will need to be based at the Ultuna campus. You will develop methods for identifying areas with high nature values and areas with potentially high nature values, but that are negatively affected by pressures. This work can be taken further by developing methods for validating the maps with stakeholders. This work will help identify and prioritise areas for coastal marine restoration efforts. 

Contact

Carolyn Faithfull, Forskare
Institutionen för akvatiska resurser, Ekosystemanalys
carolyn.faithfull@slu.se, +46104784174

Biology 30 credits

The eastern Baltic cod stock is collapsed, and has seen drastic changes in growth, body size, and mortality over the last 30 years. Understanding changes in the diet of cod is key for understanding the underlying causes for the reduced fitness of cod, and its food web implications. In this project, the student will look into how the size-dependence of predation on sprat and herring has changed over time and space. It builds on recently published papers (Weak effects of local prey density and spatial overlap on predation intensity in a temperate marine ecosystem (2025), Quantifying competition between two demersal fish species from spatiotemporal stomach content data (2025)), and the data are ready to analyse. 

This project is a great opportunity for someone who is interested to learn about data processing and statistical modelling in R, specifically spatial models and mixed effects models. There are no prerequisities, this is a chance to learn! The project is suited for 30 credits. The start time is flexible and remote work is possible.

Contact

Max Lindmark, research scientist, max.lindmark@slu.se, https://maxlindmark.github.io/

Population expansion and development of round goby in the Baltic Sea

Background

One of the most distinctive alien species invading the Baltic Sea during the last decades is the fish round goby (Neogobius melanostomus). The species originates from the Ponto-Caspian region and was first observed in the Baltic Sea in 1990 in the Polish coastal waters of the Gulf of Gdansk. The main vector mediating the establishment of the species in the Baltic Sea is ballast water from ships. The round goby has since the first observation become established in all basins in the Baltic Sea, with the northernmost finding of the species along the Finnish coast of the Bothnian Bay. Following establishment, the abundance of round goby has sky-rocketed in most coastal areas, in turn potentially impacting the local coastal ecosystem structure and functioning. As many coastal fish species targeted by small-scale fisheries in the Baltic Sea have declined, the species has today become an important target in coastal fisheries in some areas. Despite the generally good knowledge on the spatial extent of the establishment of round goby in the Baltic Sea, relatively little is known about the population development in different coastal areas of the sea. Such information is key to understanding the general biology of species, what factors regulate its population development, and whether measures should be taken to manage and mitigate the ecosystem effects following the invasion of round goby.

Aims

• To compile Baltic wide data on round goby population expansion and development and analyse time-trends in the abundance of the species in different parts of the Baltic Sea coast,
• To understand potential factors driving population expansion and development of the species by addressing commonalities and differences in time-trends across areas.

Description

In this project you will collate data from coastal fish monitoring programs in all countries bordering the Baltic Sea with a focus on round goby abundance. We already have a well established network with responsible persons for the monitoring programs, and data should be rather easily accessible. The analyses suggested include time-trends of round goby abundance across different coastal areas of the Baltic Sea, addressing common patterns in the temporal development of the species across areas, and evaluation of the trends over time in light of the local environmental conditions and the structure and temporal development of the resident coastal fish community as a whole.

Contact

Jens Olsson, Researcher at the Department of Aquatic Resources, Ultuna in Uppsala, jens.olsson@slu.se; 076-1890538

Matilda Andersson, Environmental Assessment Specialist at the Department of Aquatic Sciences and Assessment, Ultuna in Uppsala, matilda.l.andersson@slu.se

Lake experiment to determine how forest fertilisers and carbon leakage affect plankton communities

Many freshwaters in Sweden have become greener and browner over the last century due to human activities. This is linked to changes in land use which have led to increased concentrations of nutrients and dissolved organic matter (DOM) of terrestrial origin. During the same period, we have experienced a major shift in forestry practices, such that today the vast majority of forest areas in Sweden are managed by clearcutting and there has also been a concurrent shift towards dominance of coniferous forests. This has affected the amount and quality of elements transported from forests to water bodies.

This thesis project will make a significant contribution to ongoing research aiming to resolve how land use change and forestry practices affect lake ecosystem diversity and function via loading of DOM and nutrients. Futhermore, the thesis will also investigate if and how the impact depends on lake type, as lakes vary in light climate, carbon and nutrient availability.

The student(s) will specifically try to answer the questions (1) How do different combinations of forest fertilisers and DOM affect plankton production, community biomass and composition? (2) If and how does the response vary with lake chemistry?

Experimental setup

The student(s) will together with supervisors set up enclosure experiments in 6 or more lakes. We will select lake pairs consisting of one brown and one clear lake in each of three distinct geographical areas close to Uppsala, Umeå and in mid Sweden. In each lake, a set-up with small enclosures will be inoculated with lake water and local phytoplankton and zooplankton communities.

The treatments will be additions of dissolved organic matter (DOM) and nutrients. The experiment will run for approximately two weeks per lake-pair, whereafter phytoplankton and zooplankton biomass and composition will be measured. The student(s) will, with support from supervisors, set up experiments, take biological samples, analyse the results and relate them to potential effects of forestry practices on lake ecosystems.

Timing and supervision

The fieldwork will be performed during summer 2025. 1-2 student projects are available, preferably to be carried out parallel to each other (30 or 60 ects).

Contact

The supervisors are Magnus Huss (Department of Aquatic Resources (SLU Aqua), Uppsala, magnus.huss@slu.se, 010-4784127) and Karin Nilsson (VFM, SLU Umeå, karin.a.nilsson@slu.se, 070-2055017), and the student can be associated with either SLU Aqua or SLU in Umeå and will become integrated members of their respective research groups, join group meetings and seminars. There may also be opportunities to contribute to a scientific publication.

Threatened by climate change and fisheries, seabird populations worldwide have declined since the mid-20th century. Seabirds are central-place foragers, commuting between colonies and feeding areas during the breeding season. Understanding their foraging areas is crucial for informing spatial management measures to protect habitats and prey populations. However, only 3% of the ocean is currently fully or highly protected, and establishing marine protected areas (MPAs) or implementing restriction measures without careful planning could have limited or even negative effects.

Identifying interactions between seabirds and fisheries is essential for the efficient future implementation of MPAs and for global conservation efforts. At the same time, global fishing activities, from small-scale fishing boats to industrial fishing vessels, have been tracked daily since 2012.

Using allometric relationships and extrapolating the foraging ranges of species from 23,000 seabird colonies, this thesis aims to evaluate (1) the interactions between seabirds and fisheries and (2) the potential value of current and future MPAs, as well as proposed Important Bird and Biodiversity Areas (IBAs), in protecting seabirds from fisheries. This study will help quantify threats to seabirds, assess the efficiency of MPAs, and identify areas lacking adequate protection measures.

The thesis will include spatial analyses of seabird at-sea distributions, fishing activities, and protected areas. The data will be analysed statistically. This project is planned for a Master’s level (30–60 ECTS) and would result in the submission of a scientific paper to a high-ranking journal. The work will take place in Ultuna, Uppsala, and will be co-supervised by Quentin Queiros (quentin.queiros@slu.se) and Jonas Hentati-Sundberg (jonas.hentati-sundberg@slu.se)

Master projects in biology (30-60 ECTS)

Ecology and management of the European eel, several projects available!

Background

The European eel, Anguilla anguilla, is red listed as critically endangered due to a steep population decline. Current management efforts aim to reverse this negative development. There are many knowledge gaps regarding everything from ecology, behaviour, and physiology to development of stock assessment parameters. You can help us fill these knowledge gaps!

We have a great variety of masters degree projects and research training / internship related to evaluating and synthesising information about ecology, management and data collection of the European eel. There are also opportunities to assist in lab work and field activities, such as tagging, fyke-net fishing, dissections, and more.

Project examples

• Evaluating tagging and tracking data of eels in river systems, lakes and in the sea. Students can be involved in the tagging and tracking procedures, depending on time availability. Topics that can be addressed include survival (fisheries induced survival, hydropower induced mortality), movement, long distance migration, etc.
• Improve data collection programs. To monitor the eel stock, data is collected on a number of variables, such as landings, individual length, parasite prevalence, age, etc. Since data collection is time consuming and costly it is important that it is efficient. Any improvements that can be made to the monitoring programs are highly valuable, including 3R aspects.
• Evaluation of management activities such as restocking and fisheries regulations.
• Behavioural and physiological studies.

The work will be supervised by Dr Josefin Sundin and Dr Philip Jacobson. Depending on the project, the student should have an interest in fish ecology, behavioural ecology, fisheries science, data analysis, statistics, and scientific writing.

Location

At the Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences (SLU Aqua) in Drottningholm (Stockholm), Uppsala-Ultuna, or Öregrund. Several projects can also be done online.

Seals and cormorants - Top predators in Swedish waters

Suggestions of degree projects

The suggested topics are suitable for master student projects. The projects can include field work, lab work, literature studies, data analysis and scientific writing.

The contents and scope of the work can be discussed and adapted to prevailing conditions.

Background

The populations of seals and cormorants in Sweden have increased in size and distribution during the last decades.

Consequently, requirements and needs of information about the ecological roles of seals and cormorants have increased, e.g. for inclusion of top predators in ecological models and for development of ecosystem-based management. In addition, conflicts with fish conservation biology and coastal fisheries have intensified.

At present, relevant information on prey choice and abundance of these predators and their impact on fish stocks is insufficient.

Diet analysis of seals and cormorants

• Diet variability
• Methodology (DNA, image analysis)

Monitoring of seals and cormorants

• Photo-ID
• Camera surveillance
• Regional monitoring, e.g. in marine protected areas
• Abundance estimates

Predator-prey dynamics

• Prey selectivity
• Correlations between diet data and fish monitoring data

Contact

Master project in Ecology (30-60 credits)

Study on cost-effective sampling of Baltic cod stomachs for the purpose of multispecies modelling

The paradigm shift from single species to ecosystem based fisheries management (EBFM) requires a broader, mechanistic and more in-depth understanding of marine ecosystems. Multispecies models able to account for trophic interactions and the effect of environmental variability on populations are an essential tool to move towards an EBFM. To account for predator-prey interactions in age-size structured population dynamic models high quality information on predator consumption, prey preference and trophodynamics are essential. Stomach data provide fundamental information on predators’ diet, but their collection has been generally limited which is considered one of the limiting factors for the implementation of multispecies models for the purposes of fisheries advice within the context of EBFM.

The Baltic Sea has been one of the fortunate exceptions. Here, stomachs of cod, the main predatory fish in the system, have been collected for decades. This dataset is important not only for the implementation of advanced multispecies models for EBFM in the Baltic, but also because it can serve as a benchmark to design future stomach sampling programs for the Baltic and other ecosystems.

This master project aims to explore the spatial and temporal correlation among the cod stomachs and the implications of sampling design and sample size for the estimation of the main processes linked to the implementation of multispecies models. The analyses are expected to yield alternative strategies of stomach sampling in Baltic cod and highlight costeffective sampling

schemes which sampling intensity appropriately quantifies cod predation on clupeids in the Baltic and beyond.

Requirements: good skills in spoken and written English, basic statistical skills and familiarity with R programming (ability to write simple own functions).
Work location: Lysekil.

Contacts

Study on the population structure of herring in the central and western Baltic Sea based on the analysis of growth and otolith shape

Master projedt in Ecology (30-60 credits)

Stock assessment of herring in the southern Baltic is currently based on a rigid geographical definition of stock boundaries which allocate herring western of Bornholm Island to the so called Western Baltic Spring spawning herring stock and herring on the eastern side of Bornholm to the large central Baltic herring stock. In reality, in this region herring reproduce in coastal habitats along the southern Swedish coasts and along the entire southern Baltic coast from the western to the eastern limits of the basin giving origin to a number of subcomponents within these two stocks.

The relationships among the different sub-components within and between the two stocks are poorly understood, as well as the level of mixing and geographical extents of overlap between the different components belonging to the two stocks remain unknown. This lack of knowledge on population structure has profound implications for the management of herring in the Baltic, both in terms of diversity and productivity.

This master project aims to evaluate the relationships between some of the main herring spawning components in the southern Baltic Sea to contribute to the harmonisation of stock assessment units definitions and population structure. Moreover, the analyses are expected to identify solid baselines for future discrimination of the main herring components occurring in mixed catches of commercial fisheries and scientific survey across this broad geographical region.

Requirements: good skills in spoken and written English, basic statistical skills (familiarity with multivariate analyses is an advantage).
Work location: Lysekil.

Contacts:

Bachelor (15 ECTS) or Master (30/60 ECTS)

Energy content of the diet of common guillemots in the Baltic Sea

Common guillemots Uria aalge L. (Am. Eng.: Common Murre) are marine piscivorous top predators with a circumpolar Arctic distribution. Long-term studies have shown that they can be important indicators of changes in marine food webs and ecosystems. The largest common guillemot colony in the Baltic Sea (~ 15 000 pairs) is at the island of Stora Karlsö. Since 1997, a long-term research program is following this colony and collects annual data on survival, reproduction and diet, among other things.

Obtaining high energy food is a prerequisite for successful breeding and survival in common guillemots. Several studies have shown that the main food in the Baltic Sea is sprat Sprattus sprattus. New data however show that herring Clupea harengus can also be a significant part of the diet. The energy content of herring of different sizes, and the possible energy content differences between sprat and herring is today unknown. The knowledge is important for evaluating the conservation status of common guillemots in the Baltic Sea and how much fish that must be left in the sea to ensure survival of seabirds.

The degree thesis focusses on analysing the energy content of the prey fish of common guillemots. The fish has already been collected by the Institute of Marine Research in Lysekil. The fish will be analysed using a bomb calorimeter by the student. This work will take place in Ultuna, Uppsala. The data obtained will be analysed statistically. The project is planned for Bachelor's level (15 ECTS) but can be expanded into a Master's project as well (30–60 ECTS).

Links
www.balticseabird.com
www.storakarlso.se

Contact

^{Bachelor (15 ECTS)  or Master (30–60 ECTS)}

Evaluating camera monitoring for breeding seabirds

Common guillemots Uria aalge L. (Am. Eng.: Common Murre) are marine piscivorous top predators with a circumpolar Arctic distribution. Long-term studies have shown that they can be important indicators of changes in marine food webs and ecosystems.

The largest common guillemot colony in the Baltic Sea (~ 15 000 pairs) is at the island of Stora Karlsö. Since 1997, a long-term research program is following this colony and collects annual data on survival, reproduction and diet, among other things. In 2008, a world unique research facility, the Karlsö Auk Lab, was built in the middle of the colony. Scientists can study breeding birds from the inside of the Auk lab at a very close distance (20 – 30 cm). This opens up for extremely detailed studies to a low disturbance.

This degree thesis is about evaluating a new technology for monitoring breeding success in common guillemots – through automatic cameras. Today breeding is monitored through daily observations to check which eggs and chicks that are present. The new technology builds on images taken at regular intervals, and at a later stage analysis of the images. If this technology is working, there is a big potential of increasing data collection and reduce time spent close to the birds (which also leads to lower disturbance levels). The field work includes both traditional observations studies and collection and analysis of images.

At least four weeks will be spent at Stora Karlsö for field work. The island has a simple field station in the period May – early July. The student will work with experienced field personnel and a field work coordinator. The project is planned for Bachelors level (15 ECTS) but can be expanded into a Masters project as well (30 – 60 ECTS).

Links

www.balticseabird.com
www.storakarlso.se

Contact

Biology 30 or 60 credits

The aim of this project is to investigate changes in perch and pike life history traits to long-term changes in climate and productivity (eutrophication). Whereas the direct short-term impact of environmental variation on life histories are quite well studied, the longer term eco-evolutionary dynamic consequences on predator life-histories are less understood.

To address this you will use back-calculated growth of pike and perch from long-term monitoring data of fish communities in Swedish coastal areas and freshwater lakes. This data serves as great opportunity to develop a framework for a general future understanding of how large scale environmental variation will affect life-history traits and reaction norms of predatory fish in a changing world. This knowledge is both important to understand the long-term anthropogenic impact on natural communities, and is also relevant to reach the environmental targets set within Sweden and the European Union.

Project start is flexible data collection is ready. Therefore a large part of thesis project will be statistical analyses and model simulations.

Contact

Associated professor Örjan Östman, orjan.ostman@slu.se

15-30-60 points

Background

Biodiversity degradation has caused a growing and urgent need for coastal marine restoration. In Sweden, the number of high-quality habitats for marine and coastal species has been steadily declining with no marine habitats achieving favourable conservation status in the most recent status update. The need for measures to reduce negative effects on ecosystems is recognised by the Nature Restoration Regulation (NRR), which aims to halt biodiversity and habitat loss across the EU by restoring at least 30% of the total area of marine habitat types not in good condition by 2030, and at least 60% by 2040. To achieve this we need to know where restoration is needed and what measures will be most effective. 

The project

There are several parts to this project that can be done independently depending on your interests and the skills you would like to develop.

Review of indicators for restoration measures

So far, guidelines for determining and measuring restoration success, e.g. Society of Ecological Restoration indicators, have not been implemented in a Swedish marine context. This is a literature review to collate information on potentially useful indicators (ecological, social and economic) from scientific and grey literature and develop an assessment criteria for these indicators, for example are they applicable across different types of restoration, spatial and time scales, communicable, flexible across restoration goals, addressed cumulative effects, consistent with national and EU reporting. This work can be taken further by surveying practitioners, managers and scientists to assess their responses on how useful the indicators are for different projects. These results will be used to develop guidelines for use of the indicators for different restoration contexts.

Mapping natural values and pressures

Appropriate site selection for restoration is essential to long-term success and to prioritise restoration measures on a national scale. This study involves collating maps of natural values and pressures from multiple sources along the Swedish coast and will require communication with other Universities, County Boards and Municipalities to obtain information. This project requires prior experience with GIS and being comfortable working with spatial information. You will need to be based at the Ultuna campus. You will develop methods for identifying areas with high nature values and areas with potentially high nature values, but that are negatively affected by pressures. This work can be taken further by developing methods for validating the maps with stakeholders. This work will help identify and prioritise areas for coastal marine restoration efforts. 

Contact

Carolyn Faithfull, Forskare
Institutionen för akvatiska resurser, Ekosystemanalys
carolyn.faithfull@slu.se, +46104784174