WWF Comments and Proposed Amendments to The

2006-03-20 Draft Göteborg Declaration 1 (26)

WWF comments and proposed amendments to the

DRAFT

NORTH SEA MINISTERIAL MEETING ON THE ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACT OF SHIPPING AND [1]FISHERIES

Göteborg, SWEDEN 4 and 5 May 2006

We, Ministers of the North Sea States responsible for the protection of the North Sea, and the Member of the European Commission responsible for environmental protection (hereafter ‘the Ministers’), met in Göteborg on 4 and 5 May 2006 for a Ministerial Meeting focussed especially on the environmental impact of shipping, and 1fisheries on the North Sea, with participation by observers from international intergovernmental and non-governmental organisations,

AIMING to review in greater detail the protection of the marine environment of the North Sea from the impacts of shipping and the consequences of fisheries and the way in which environmental, fisheries and shipping policies can be better[2] integrated with each other, and to consider what further steps may be needed[3] for this purpose,

CONSCIOUS that, although the North Sea Conferences and Ministerial Meetings have achieved substantial progress in improving the protection of the marine environment of the North Sea, there are still urgent problems to be resolved,

FULLY AWARE that climate change will have a significant impact on the North Sea ecosystem, WWF suggests making reference to relevant global agreements such as the Kyoto Protocol, to be consistent with the structure of the following sections of the preamble.

DETERMINED to implement an integrated ecosystem approach to the management of human activities affecting the natural resources of the North Sea, in fulfilment of the global commitments made at the World Summit on Sustainable Development at Johannesburg in 2002 [4]as well as at the North Sea Conference in Bergen 2002,

[5]RE-EMPHASISING the important role of the North Sea Conferences over more than 20 years in efforts to improve the environmental status of the North Sea, and STRESSING the need to continue, where necessary, to implement commitments made at the earlier North Sea Conferences and Ministerial Meetings but RECOGNISING that many North Sea problems must be addressed through solutions, not only at local and national levels, but also at the regional, European and the global levels, and therefore.

WELCOMING the initiatives for an EU Maritime Policy and [6]the EU Commission proposal for a European Marine Strategy which stresses the role of regional solutions and STRESSING the importance of coordinated action in the International Maritime Organization,

RECOGNISING that, in order to use living marine resources in a sustainable way, all the sectors concerned need to take responsibility for their impacts on the quality of the marine environment,

WELCOMING, therefore, the statements from conferences in the North Sea region in particularly those of [7]the OSPAR Commission, the Tripartite Trilateral Waddenseae Cooperation and the CPMR[A] North Sea Commission, addressing various problems concerning the North Sea environment,

ACKNOWLEDGING the important role local, national and regional authorities, organisations and stakeholders play in the work to improve the North Sea environment,

APPRECIATING the positive contribution made by Intergovernmental organisations and Non-governmental organisations in their work to promote a healthy, diverse and productive environment in the North Sea,

COMMITTED to continue, at relevant[8] levels, as appropriate, the individual and joint actions to improve the environment of the North Sea,

HAVE ADOPTED the following statement:

For the Government of the Kingdom of Belgium:

For the Government of the Kingdom of Denmark:

For the Government of the French Republic:

For the Government of the Federal Republic of

Germany:

For the Government of the Kingdom of the

Netherlands:

For the Government of the Kingdom of Norway:

For the Government of the Kingdom of Sweden:

For the Government of the Swiss Confederation:

For the Government of the United Kingdom

of Great Britain and Northern Ireland:

For the European Commission:

[9]Summary

1. The North Sea is a vital resource for the North Sea region as well as for Europe. The shipping and fishing industries contribute to the general well being of the region. Although significant improvements have been made as to the ecological status of the North Sea the overall impact on the ecosystems is still considerable and not improving.
2. There is an urgent need that the shipping and fishing industries reinforce their efforts in bringing about a radical change regarding the impact on the North Sea marine environmental. An eco-system approach is the point of departure.

1. The ecosystem approach has to be made more simple and operational in order to improve the environment. There is a need for further research concentrating on the development of more selective and environmentally friendly fishing gear and methods, in order to obtain a long-term sustainable fishing industry.
2. Marine Protected Areas for environmental purposes and closed areas for fishing management can be efficient tools to protect fish stocks. By 2008 additional permanently or temporarily closed areas for fishing should be identified and implemented on an experimental basis.
3. By-catches and discards is are still a major problem in the fisheries management of the North Sea. The overcapacity of the fishing fleet is a problem that requires further action. EU and Norway should continue their efforts to investigate and implement possible means to ban discards. A progress report on the effectiveness of such a ban will be published by 2008.
4. Authorities will by 2007 undertake an evaluation of the present cod recovery plan. Similar efforts will be considered in other fisheries such as flatfish fishery. In the meantime Parties should ensure that the Cod Recovery Plan is being effectively implemented.

1. Environmentally friendly shipping should be promoted. An important tool is the Clean Ship approach, which will be pursued under the leadership of Norway and the Netherlands. The aim is to submit proposals to the IMO in 2006/07. Accreditation schemes, use of economic incentives and indexing systems increased research and efficient monitoring are essential elements of the Clean Ship approach.
2. Important steps have been taken to reduce the airborne emissions from shipping. However more needs to be done. If no further measures are introduced, by 2020 SOx and NOx emissions from international shipping around Europe may have surpassed the total emissions from land based sources in EU. Measures to reduce emissions must be taken, mainly the review of Marpol VI. Emission trading schemes could be considered as a way forward.
3. Marine litter still poses environmental problems to coastal regions. Renewed measures are taken in OSPAR and other international organisations. Awareness raising campaigns and efforts by local communities and voluntary sector will be encouraged. Better port waste reception facilities is one tool to improve the situation.
4. Accidental and deliberate discharges from ships pose difficult problems. The North Sea states will jointly invite the IMO to assess loopholes or gaps in existing schemes and propose remedial actions where appropriate.

1. The on-going work of the North Sea Network of Investigators and Prosecutors has proven to be an efficient way to strengthen the enforcement of pollution to the North Sea. The network will continue and strengthen its work in areas such as transboundary enforcement, facilitating use of evidence and exchange of information of offenders.

1. North Sea states will continue to cooperate on measures to improve the North Sea environment issues in close contacts with stakeholders such as local and regional authorities, intergovernmental and non-governmental organisations. Consultations between participants will also continue in other international forums, which deal with issues relevant for the North Sea environment.

I

The need for action

[10]There is a need to restore the North Sea to a functional ecosystem in order to allow it to serve the region also in the future as a sustainable resource for fishing, transport and recreation. The basic value of protecting natural ecosystems and biodiversity will go hand in hand with a sound economic and social development in the region.

The North Sea is a vital resource for the North Sea States and for the rest of Europe. It is one of the world’s most productive seas. It supports important fisheries. Its offshore oil and gas industry continues to be crucial for Europe’s energy. Its offshore wind-farms offer an important new source of renewable energy and much more may come from waves and tides. It is the route of a high proportion of world shipping, and is therefore vital to Europe’s trade. It is a major site for tourism and recreation. It is a significant source of sand and gravel for construction. And it is, above all, the essential background to the daily lives of millions of people who inhabit its shores.

In addition to the socio-economic goods and services that the North Sea provides, its natural wealth has an intrinsic value for biodiversity in Europe. The North Sea ecosystems also supports key functions for adjacent regions and populations, including spawning grounds[11], nursery and feeding grounds for fish, marine mammals and migratory birds, and through their role in nutrient cycles, sediment transport and adaptation to climate change.

Although substantial efforts have been made to improve the environmental quality of the North Sea, which have had considerable success in reducing adverse human impacts, the overall quality of the ecosystems in the North Sea remain under severe ecological pressure. These pressures are very diverse and vary in their significance. They include climate change, inputs of hazardous substances, nutrients and radioactive substances, fisheries and aquaculture, oil spills and discharges, the introduction of non-native species and litter. [12]For instance, the alarming disappearance of sugar kelp forests from the Norwegian coasts bordering the Skagerrak and the North Sea, the cause of which is currently being investigated. Their combined effect has resulted in damage to food webs and substantial alterations to many ecosystems in the North Sea.

[13]Climate change will effect the marine environment in many ways. There will be increased risks for storms and flooding in coastal areas, the warming of seawaters will influence marine habitat. Changes in climate in conjunction with other stresses including chemical pollution, over fishing, risk severe impacts on humans and on ecosystems.

In order to achieve sustainable development in and around the North Sea, [14]action is required to safeguard the ability of the North Sea to continue to underpin the lives of the human inhabitants and wildlife of its region.

In addition, land-based pollutants continue to be a major threat to the North Sea. They represent about 80 per cent of all inputs of hazardous substances, and are the predominant cause of eutrophication, which is found particularly in coastal areas in the eastern part of the North Sea. There are positive signs that inputs of hazardous substances and nutrients have been reduced, although this has not yet led to a reduction in the level of nutrient concentrations.

This Statement is based on commitments to pursue the ecosystem approach to the management of human activities and the specific programmes and measures to address these problems which have been set up, not least as the result of initiatives by North Sea Conferences and Ministerial Meetings. Nevertheless, there is scope for further consideration of the environmental impacts of shipping and [15]fisheries.

[16]The high pressure from fisheries continues to threaten many economically important fish stocks and to affect other wildlife. The North Sea is one of the seven marine regions of the world where fish stocks are in greatest need of recovery. This has occurred despite a substantial reduction in subsidies for new fishing vessels and tougher restrictions on catches and the fishing technology that may be used.

The pressures from shipping come mainly from emissions to the air of engine exhausts gases, illegal discharges of oil and other hazardous substances, oil spills and other hazardous substances from maritime accidents, alien species spread through ballast–water discharges, and inputs from anti-fouling paint systems and littering. These problems from the shipping sector need to be considered in an integrated way and be addressed at the national, regional and international levels through the “Clean Ship” approach for sustainable shipping.

[17]There is an urgent need for an integrated approach to address all the problems of the marine environment, including comprehensive action to address the specific problems posed by shipping and fisheries.

[18]

[19][This need will be met by among other things a European Marine Strategy, based on the proposals from the European Commission within the framework of the developing EU Maritime Policy. The proposed framework of initial assessments, the determination of what will constitute good environmental status, the establishment of environmental targets and the creation of monitoring programmes.]

[This need will be met by among other things an EU Marine Strategy and the broader EU Maritime Policy [to be] announced in the [forthcoming] Green Paper. The proposed framework for marine strategies foreseen in the proposed Marine Strategy, is designed to achieve good environmental status. These marine strategies will comprise, in the preparatory phase, initial assessments, the determination of what will constitute good environmental status, the establishment of environmental targets and the creation of monitoring programmes. In promoting an ecosystem-based and regional approach to the protection of the marine environment across European seas, the proposed Marine Strategy will boost on-going efforts to protect the North Sea region more effectively under OSPAR. A Green Paper on a Future EU Maritime Policy, in which the articulation and interplay between different policy areas affecting the marine environment will be addressed, will also contribute to delivering the necessary integrated policies.]

WWF makes cross reference to the caveats and reservations already made, in documents CONSSO FEB 06/3/2 and CONSSO FEB 06/3/4, with regard to the entire section dealing with the EU Marine Strategy and/or Maritime Policy. WWF maintains the concerns expressed in both NGO papers.

[The [20]importance of the regional approach [21]must be stressed, which will allow policies to be tailored to the needs of each marine region considering also the work at local, national and international. The definition of a marine sub-region based on the North Sea, and will work to improve the strategies and action plans that are already in place. They will make arrangements involving the OSPAR Commission and other regional organisations to deliver the necessary comprehensive approach.]

II

The environmental impact of fisheries

An ecosystem approach to fisheries management considers all the components of the marine ecosystem in the North Sea (biological, chemical and physical) and their interactions. It recognises that man is part of the system and seeks to include stakeholders in setting and management goals. However the overall environmental health conditions of the ecosystem remains a major concern for any decision-making.

Historically fisheries management has failed to protect fish stocks in the North Sea ecosystem. Science in the ICES framework has confirmed that the state of environment affects fisheries and vice versa. This should be referenced The continued development of a functional ecosystem approach should[22] be carried out on a scientifically sound basis and in consideration of the precautionary principle. [23]It will [24]require a clear and legitimate role for stakeholders to participate in setting objectives as part of the governance framework and to take part in the implementation of agreed measures. An ecosystem approach to fisheries management is [25]one element of a more integrated management concept, the ecosystem approach to the management of human activities.

Ecosystem approach to fisheries management

The challenge is to make the ecosystem approach to fisheries management more operational. There is a need to consider not only how fishing affects individual commercial species and the food web, but also how by-catch of non-commercial species, discarding and physical disturbance affects the marine ecosystem, including benthos, birds and marine mammals.[26]

1.Recalling the agreement to implement an ecosystem approach by identifying and taking action on influences that are critical to the health of the North Sea ecosystem. The Ministers stress the importance of existing initiatives aiming at further development and implementation of an ecosystem approach to the fisheries management in the North Sea.

2.The Ministers note that recent EU-funded research[B] has progressed in the designation of fisheries ecosystem plans as a means to implement[27] an ecosystem approach to fisheries management. To provide the basis for the wider ecosystem approach that underpins the proposed European Marine Strategy, and to achieve increased cooperation with other environmental management authorities and relevant organisations, the Ministers request that the competent authorities, in consultation with relevant stakeholders and especially the North Sea Regional Advisory Council (North Sea RAC) to develop a fisheries ecosystem plan for the North Sea based on scientific advice from ICES and national science bodies, adopt this by the end of [2008][28] and progressively implement it thereafter.

WWF believes the presumption of ICES advice being the only and compulsory route would narrow the scope for stakeholders and the RAC to seek and provide additional advice in such a consultative process.

3.The Ministers will encourage their national institutions, through the national funding of research projects, the acquisition of the necessary scientific knowledge of the properties of the ecosystem to be used in the implementation of an ecosystem-based approach to fisheries management.Informationon the ecology of species, their associated habitats, as well as their temporal and spatial distribution should be used to ensure that the critical phases of life-cycle of major fish stocks and their associated habitats are identified and protected.