Organisation and Finance
The Potsdam Institute of Inland Fisheries (Institut für Binnenfischerei e.V., IfB) was founded in 1992 as an institution for practice-oriented fisheries research in the states of Brandenburg and Saxony-Anhalt. It is organised in the legal form of a private non-profit association.
Today, the ministries responsible for inland fisheries in the federal states of Brandenburg, Saxony-Anhalt, Schleswig-Holstein and Thuringia are the sponsors and regular donors. In addition, the Institute is financed by grants from the federal government, foundations and other donors, as well as by income from contract research.
According to its statutes, it is the Institute's task to develop practice-oriented scientific principles, research results and data for fisheries policy decisions and inland fisheries practice in the sponsoring countries. In addition, scientific projects, services and studies are carried out for various third-party funding bodies. With its work, the IfB sees itself as a bridge and link between basic research and practice.
Due to its promotion of science and research, the Institute is recognised by the Potsdam tax office as a non-profit association and is registered under VR 1078 P at the Potsdam district court.
Committees
The highest body of the Institute and the Association is the General Assembly. It approves the annual research programme and the economic plan, appoints the members of the scientific advisory board and elects the institute's board of directors.
The current members of the Potsdam Institute of Inland Fisheries (as of 11/2024)
In accordance with the Institute's legal form as a non-profit association, the Institute currently has the following members (and their representatives), in addition to the Scientific Director/Chairman of the Board (U. Brämick) and the Deputy Director (A. Müller-Belecke):
State Dept. for the Environment, Health and Consumer Affairs, Brandenburg - Vorsitz (D. Ilgenstein)
Landesanglerverband Thüringen e.V. (A. Pleikies)
Landesanglerverband Brandenburg e.V. (U. Thiel)
Landesanglerverband Sachsen-Anhalt (A. van der Molen-Stolze)
Landesfischereiverband Brandenburg/Berlin e.V. (L. Dettmann)
Landesfischereiverband Sachsen-Anhalt e.V. (F. Ehrmann)
Landessportfischerverband Schleswig-Holstein - Hegegemeinschaft Gewässersystem Nord-Ostsee-Kanal (R. Neukamm)
Ministry of Agriculture, Rural Affairs, Europe and Consumer Affairs, State of Schleswig-Holstein (R. Lemcke)
Ministry of Economy, Tourism, Agriculture and Forests, State of Sachsen-Anhalt (C. Lasson)
Thüringer Fischereiverband e.V. (F. Strecker)
Thuringian Ministry of Infrastructure and Agriculture (B. Dieken)
VDSF-Landesanglerverband Sachsen-Anhalt (H. Klock)
Verband der Binnenfischer und Teichwirte (S. Schwarten)
Verband für Angeln und Naturschutz Thüringen (A. Brucker)
The current members of the scientific advisory board (as of 11/2024)
The IfB has a scientific advisory board consisting of up to eight external scientists who provide their expertise in various areas of inland fisheries. The advisory board promotes the Institute's links with research institutions in the same and related fields as well as with practitioners and advises the Board of Directors and scientists responsible for projects on research topics.
The scientific advisory board has the following members:
Dr. M. Dorow, State Research Center for Agriculture and Fisheries, Mecklenburg-Vorpommern
Dr. G. Füllner, State Department for the Environment, Agriculture and Geology, Saxony
PD Dr. V. Jung-Schroers, University of Veterinary Medicine Hannover (Dept. of fish diseases and fish husbandry)
Prof. Dr. C. Schulz, Kiel University and IMTE (Fraunhofer Research Institution for Individualized and Cell-Based Medical Engineering)
Ch. Zimmermann, J.-H. von Thünen-Institute of Baltic Sea Fisheries, Rostock
Dr. M. Tautenhahn, Lower Oder Valley National Park
Dr. C. Wolter, Leibniz Institute of Freshwater Ecology and Inland Fisheries
The current members of the Executive Board (as of 04/2025)
The Board of Directors consists of the Scientific Director (at the same time Chairperson of the Board of Directors) and two assessors (one Deputy Director). The Executive Board is responsible for making decisions in all matters of the Association. It has to ensure the Institute's ability to work, decides on the research and economic plan, decides on the implementation of projects and the acceptance of commissions and makes decisions in personnel matters. At present, the Executive Board consists of the scientific director of the Institute, Dr. Uwe Brämick, the deputy director, Dr. Andreas Müller-Belecke, and the second assessor, Mr. Steffen Zahn.