In order to meet the demands for salmon, many salmon farms have developed along the coasts of Scandinavia and Scotland. These operations are governed by strict environmental regulations. Farms are required to determine how their fish production is affecting the marine benthic ecosystem. Therefore, they analyse the presence of so-called bioindicator organisms such as crustaceans and worms on the sea floor. This process is time-consuming and expensive. Researchers at the University of Kaiserslautern together with colleagues from the University of Geneva are developing faster and more efficient methods. They utilize the DNA from microorganisms to characterise changes more precisely that was previously possible. Their studies have been published in the renowned journals Ecological Indicators and Marine Pollution Bulletin.