TRAFFIC (Trophic Transfer Efficiency in the Benguela Current) is a cooperation of German, Namibian and South African institutes. Our aim is to understand the processes that drive the trophic structures of the northern and southern Benguela Upwelling System (nBUS, sBUS) and the associated impact on fisheries and climate. We hypothesise that, in the sBUS, a more efficient trophic transfer efficiency produces higher fishery yields and a net CO2 uptake whereas, in the nBUS, the food web structure produces lower fishery yields and higher CO2 emission. Our investigation will unravel how the ecosystem structure affects fisheries and CO2 fluxes.
