Rodney Forster

Centre for Environment, Fisheries and Aquaculture Science (Cefas)

Lowestoft, UK

Products from the EMECO Products from the EMECO North Sea Observatory: North Sea Observatory: an EU policy perspectivean EU policy perspective

rodney.forster@cefas.co.uk

To put in place measures to achieve Good Environmental Status in Europe’s seas by 2020

‘Good Environmental Status means the environmental status of marine waters where these provide ecologically diverse and dynamic oceans and

seas which are clean, healthy and productive within their intrinsic conditions, and the use of the marine environment is at a level that is sustainable, thus safeguarding the potential for uses and activities by

current and future generations...’

What does the Directive commit us to?

What are the regional requirements?

OSPAR currently reviewing its priorities to ensure it supports the delivery of the Directive

“Member States sharing a marine region...shall cooperate to ensure that... the measures required to achieve...this Directive...are coherent and coordinated across the marine region...”

UK keen to use the Oslo and Paris Convention (OSPAR) as the forum to deliver all key regional elements of the Directive

2008 20202010 2012 2014 2015 2016

Directive transposed

Initial assessment of UK seas

GES defined, including targets

and indicators

Monitoring programme established

Programme of measures

implemented

GES achieved for UK seas

Summary: Directive’s requirements

Determination of Good Environmental Status – 2012

•11 high level descriptors of GES set out in the Directive

• Member States to set out how GES will be defined for their marine waters by 2012

• Common criteria and standards to underpin GES across the EU to be agreed with Commission and other Member States by 2010

“Concentrations of contaminants are at levels not giving rise to pollution

effects”

“Populations of all commercially exploited fish and shellfish are within safe

biological limits”

“Biological diversity is maintained”

Healthy Seas

Desc 1 Biodiversity

Desc 2 Invasive Species

Desc 5 Eutrophication

Clean Seas

Desc 8 Contaminants & pollution

Desc 10 Marine Litter

Habitats

Desc 6 Seafloor integrity

Desc 7 Hydrography

Desc 11 Energy

Productive Seas

Desc 3 Sustainable commercial species

Desc 9 Fish / shellfish hygiene

Desc 4 Food webs

Group Platform Data return Physical Chemical Biological

Temp.

Salinity

SPM

Waves

Light

Nutrients

Oxygen

Phytopl.

Zoopl.

Fish

GKSS FerryBox RT + + + + + + RWS R.V + + + + + + IMR R.V. + + + + + + +

SAHFOS SOOP – CPR + + R.V. +

SmartBuoy NRT + + + + + + +

Cefas

WaveNet Buoy NRT + + Ifremer Marcoast Products NRT + + +

BSH R.V + + + + + + MUMM Marcoast Products NRT + + + NIOZ FerryBox NRT + + + + + + NIVA FerryBox RT + + + + + +

Descriptors of GES 7,11 7 7 5 5 1,2,4,5 1,2,4 1,2,3,4 Characteristics of marine waters 1,2,3,4,5,9 1,4,5 1,4,5,6,7 1,4 1,4,5 1,4 1,4 9

Mapping MSFD descriptors to current observations in the North Sea

Desc 1 Biodiversity

Desc 2 Invasive Species

Desc 5 Eutrophication

Desc 8 Contaminants & pollution

Desc 10 Marine Litter

Desc 6 Seafloor

Desc 6 Seafloor

Desc 7 Hydrography

Desc 11 Energy

Desc 3 Commercial species

Desc 9 Fish shellfish hygiene

Desc 4 Food webs

The challenge:

To harmonise our observationsof the North Sea in order to assess the ecological status

Questions:

Is further R&D required?

Is the existing instrumentation sufficient?

How do we communicate with policy makers in the next 12 months?

Desc 5 Eutrophication

Desc 5 Eutrophication

Desc 5 Eutrophication