Philip Jacobson

My research focus on predator-prey interactions in aquatic systems, scientific evaluation of fisheries management strategies, and the application of the 3Rs (Replacement, Reduction, and Refinement) principles in fish monitoring. I am also working with Sweden’s national eel monitoring program and data collection within the Eel Biology Unit at SLU Aqua. I am also a member of the joint ICES/EIFAAC/GFCM international working group on Eels (WGEEL), contributing to the annual eel stock assessment.

I am the project leader of the research project FREEL (Freshwater Eel) – Harnessing the power of otolith chemistry to assess habitat utilization of the European eel in Swedish water, 2025-2027, financed by SVC (Swedish center for sustainable hydropower).

I work with the organisation, execution and development of the Swedish nationel eel monitoring program, financed by the EU via DCF (Data collection framework).

I organize an annual workshop for PhD-students at SLU focusing on thesis writing, called the "Thesis summary writing workshop". 

Lecturer on the course "Where have all the fishes gone?"

Lecturer and organized activities for the course "Ecology For Fish Management and Conservation"

Education

2020: PhD in Marine Ecology, Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences (SLU): "Size-dependent predator-prey interactions, distribution and mortality in salmon: effects on individuals and populations" https://pub.epsilon.slu.se/16962/

2015: MSc degree in Marine Ecology, Stockholm University, Sweden.

2013: BSc degree in Biology, Stockholm University, Sweden.

Ongoing:

Main supervisor for Lisa Spotowitz, postdoc, 2025-2027, FREEL-project.

Co-supervisor for Steffen Riemenschneider & Vivien Wrubel,  60 credit MSc project.  Technical University of Berlin.

2025:

Co-supervisor for Elin Sjögren, 60 credit MSc project: Small Eels, Big Barriers Employing Open Data to Assess the Effects of Dam Removals and Nature-like Fishways on Juvenile Eel Migration. https://stud.epsilon.slu.se/20800/

2024:

Co-supervisor for Maiara Karlsson, 15 credit bachelor level: Stocking eel or restoring routes? - Evidence-based measures vs. practice. https://stud.epsilon.slu.se/20433/

Main supervisor for Emil Rask, independent project, 15 credit bachelor level: Cormorant predation on eel - a litterature review. https://stud.epsilon.slu.se/20005/

Main supervisor for Ellen Schaal, independent project, 15 credit bachelor level: The variability of habitat use by the European eel (Anguilla anguilla) during its resident yellow eel life stage throughout its distribution range. https://stud.epsilon.slu.se/19815/

2018-2019:

Co-supervisor for Ulrika Tollerz Brattby, 30 credit MSc thesis project: Factors explaining variation in the fecundity of female Baltic salmon (Salmo salar) – the influence of length, body condition and growth rate at sea. https://stud.epsilon.slu.se/15016/

Sundin, J., Karlsson, K., Jacobson, B., Jacobson, P. 2025. Assessment of mortality during trap and transport in adult European eel. Fisheries Research, 281, 107264, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.fishres.2025.107264.

Säterberg, T., Jacobson, P., Ovegård, M., Rask, J., Östergren, J., Jepsen, N., & Florin, A-B. 2023.  Species- and origin-specific susceptibility to bird predation among juvenile salmonids. Ecosphere 14(12): e4724. https://doi.org/10.1002/ecs2.4724

Jones, D., Dahlgren, E., Jacobson, P., & Karlson, A. M. 2022. Determining Baltic salmon foraging areas at sea using stable isotopes in scales—a tool for understanding health syndromes. ICES Journal of Marine Science, 79(1), 158-168. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1093/icesjms/fsab250

Jacobson, P., Whitlock, R., Huss, M., Leonardsson, K., Östergren, J., & Gårdmark, A. 2021. Growth variation of Atlantic salmon Salmo salar at sea affects their population-specific reproductive potential. Marine Ecology Progress Series, 671, 165-174. DOI: https://doi.org/10.3354/meps13734

Jacobson, P., Gårdmark, A., Huss, M. 2020. Population and size‐specific distribution of Atlantic salmon Salmo salar in the Baltic Sea over five decades. Journal of Fish Biology, 96: 408-417. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1111/jfb.14213

Jacobson, P., Bergström, U., Eklöf, J. S. 2019. Size-dependent diet composition and feeding of Eurasian perch (Perca fluviatilis) and northern pike (Esox lucius) in the Baltic Sea. Boreal Environmental Research, 24: 137-153. URL: http://www.borenv.net/BER/pdfs/ber24/ber24-137-153.pdf

Jacobson, P., Gårdmark, A., Östergren, J., Casini, M., & Huss, M. 2018. Size‐dependent prey availability affects diet and performance of predatory fish at sea: A case study of Atlantic salmon. Ecosphere, 9(1), e02081. DOI:  https://doi.org/10.1002/ecs2.2081

Google Scholar

Researchgate

Have a look at when we tagged eel during a test-fishing at Nyköpingsån: Unikt fiske av sällsynta arten – hur många finns kvar i ån?