Dr. Timo Rittweg has received the €5,000 Dissertation Prize of the “Forschungsstiftung Ostsee”.
On 14 April, Dr. Timo Rittweg was awarded the Dissertation Prize of the “Forschungsstiftung Ostsee” at the MEERESMUSEUM Stralsund. The award recognizes outstanding scientific contributions to the ecology of the Baltic Sea and its adjacent habitats.
In his dissertation “Thermosaline niche, resource use and growth of a stenohaline freshwater predator in brackish ecosystems and adjacent tributaries of the southern Baltic Sea”, Rittweg investigated the little‑studied coastal pike populations of Mecklenburg‑Vorpommern. His research revealed:
- Three genetically isolated pike subpopulations around Rügen
- Clear differences in migration patterns, feeding strategies and habitat use
- Increasing reliance on marine prey, especially spring‑spawning herring
- Distinct growth dynamics but similar lifetime fitness across groups
- The crucial importance of accurate age determination for sustainable fisheries management
His findings already inform new management and conservation strategies for Baltic brackish‑water pike and highlight the ecological feedbacks between the open Baltic Sea and the inner Bodden waters.
Dr. Rittweg completed his PhD at the Albrecht Daniel Thaer Institute of Humboldt‑Universität zu Berlin, supervised by Prof. Robert Arlinghaus, and currently works as a researcher at the Thünen Institute.
(Fotografin: Anke Neumeister / Deutsches Meeresmuseum)