Magnus Appelberg

My research started years ago by studying the effects of acidification on freshwater crayfish and has successively turned out to focus on different aspects of environmental assessment related to fish. 

My research has dealt with fish monitoring and environmental disturbances on fish and shellfish. The research has been directed towards size-based monitoring, invasive species and to assess the effects of disturbances for different life history characteristics in fish. During six years I was co-coordinator for the PLAN FISH project, with the main objective to investigate how piscivorous fish dominated offshore and coastal ecosystems can be reinstated in the Baltic Sea. Given the future challenges facing our water management, resource and environmental analysis will play an increasingly important role in the sustainable use of wild fish. 

I have focused my research on developing fish-based environmental monitoring and assessment. My work covers both freshwater and marine habitats and comprises methodological as well as ecological aspects. Management of natural resources need to have an adaptive, ecosystem-based approach, which systematically incorporates new knowledge based on research, as well as research that is based on environmental assessment and completed actions. After ending my period as head of department, I have focused on fish sampling issues.

My collaborative work spans from dealing with fish ageing at a national and international level, to environmental assessment at both national and international level in freshwater and the Baltic Sea. I have been engaged in the development of a new platform at Stockholms open-air museum Skansen, which is a new facility for increased knowledge of the Baltic Sea is under construction (Baltic Sea Science Center).

1986-1987 Researcher, Dept of Limnology, University of Uppsala

1987-1988 Research assistant, Institute of Freshwater Research, Swedish Board of Fisheries.

1988-2001 Researcher, Institute of Freshwater Research, Swedish Board of Fisheries.

1992 -2001 Senior scientist (laborator) and deputy director, Institute of Freshwater Research, National Board of Fisheries.

1998-2001  Associated (adjungerad) professor, Swedish Univ. of Agric. Sci., Dept. of Environmental Assessment, at 20%         

2001-2011  Director, Institute of Coastal Research, Swedish Board of Fisheries (80%)

2002-2008 Associated (adjungerad) professor at Dept of Systems ecology, Stockholm University at 20%

2008 -2011  Guest professor at Dept of Systems Ecology, Stockholm University at 20%

2011 -2017  Senior scientist/professor, Head of Dept of Aquatic Resources, Swedish Univ. of Agric. Sci.

2017 - Senior advisor, Dept of Aquatic Resources, Swedish Univ. of Agric. Sci.

Anders Agerberg - Genetic and Phenotypic variation in Freshwater Crayfish Pacifastacus leniusculus (Dana), (assistant supervisor), Uppsala University (1993),

Björn Söderbäck - Population regulation in two co-occurring crayfish sepcies, (assistant supervisor) Uppsala University (1993).

Gustaf Almqvist - Round goby Neogobius melanostomus in the Baltic Sea – Invasion biology in practice, (principle supervisor) Stockholm university (2008)

Jesper Martinsson - Ecology of juvenile turbot and flounder in the central Baltic Sea, (principle supervisor), at Stockholm University and Gotlands högskola (2011).

Moksness, E., Appelberg, M., Hammer, C., Morales Nin, B. and Wright,. P.J. (2022). What is left and what was achieved? A time perspective of a pioneering 
project 20 years after the European Fish Ageing Network. Fisheries Research 252, Aug 2022. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.fishres.2022.106340

Bergström, U., Olsson, J., Casini, M., Eriksson, B. K., Fredriksson, R., Wennhage, H. and Appelberg, M. (2015). Stickleback increase in the Baltic Sea – a thorny issue for coastal predatory fish? In preparation. Estuarine, Coastal and Shelf Science, 163: 134-142.

Bergek, S., Franzén, F., Quack, M., Hochkich, A., Kinitz, T., Prestegaard, T. and M. Appelberg, (2012). Panmixia in Zoarces viviparus L. in the Baltic Proper: Implications for environmental monitoring studies. J. Fish Biol. 80(6):2302-2316.

Bergek, S., Ma, Q., Vetemaa, M., Franzén, F. and M. Appelberg (2012). From individuals to populations - Impacts of environmental pollution on natural eelpout populations. Ecotoxicol. Environ. Saf  79:1-12

Almqvist G, Strandmark A and M  Appelberg, 2010. Has the invasive round goby caused new links in Baltic food webs? Env. Biol. Fishes 89:79-93

Appelberg, M,  N. Formigo, A. J. Geffen, C. Hammer, W. McCurdy, J. Modin, E. Moksness, H. Mosegaard, B. Morales-Nin, H. Troadec and P. Wright, 2006. A cooperative effort to exchange age reading experience and protocols between European fish institutes. Fisheries Research 76:167-173

Sandström, O,  Å. Larsson, J. Andersson, M. Appelberg, A. Bignert, H. Ek, L. Förlin and M. Olsson, 2005. Three Decades of Swedish Experience Demonstrates the Need for Integrated Long-Term Monitoring of Fish in Marine Coastal Areas Water Qual. Res. J. Canada, V 40, No. 3, 233–250.

Tammi, J., M. Appelberg, U. Beier, T. Hesthagen, A. Lappalainen and M. Rask. 2003. Fish status survey of Nordic lakes: Effects of acidification, eutrophication and stocking acitivity on present fish species composition. Ambio 32(2):98-105.

Kurkilahti, M, M. Appelberg, T. Hesthagen & M. Rask 2002. Effect of fish shape on gillnet selectivity: a study with Fulton’s condition factor. Fisheries Research 54:153-170.

Appelberg, M. and T. Svensson 2001. Long-term ecological effects of liming – the ISELAW programme. Water, Air and Soil Pollution 130:1745-1750.

Holmgren, M. and M. Appelberg 2001. Effects of environmental factors on size-related growth efficiency of perch, Perca fluviatilis. Ecology of freshwater fish 10:247-256

Holmgren, K. and  Appelberg, M. 2000. Size structure of benthic freshwater fish communities in relation to environmental gradients. J. of Fish Biol 57:1312-1320

Appelberg, M., Berger, H.-M., Hesthagen, T., Klevien, E., Kurkilahti, M., Raitaniemi, J., and Rask, M. 1995. Development and intercalibration of methods in Nordic freshwater fish monitoring. Water, Air and Soil Poll. 85:401-406.