Download Marine Living Resources

European Commission
DG Maritime Affairs and Fisheries
Marine Living Resources
Common Concern for the Arctic
Conference 9-10 September 2008
Ilulissat, Greenland
Poul Degnbol
Scientific adviser
European Commission
European Commission
DG Maritime Affairs and Fisheries
Climate change is an added stress
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Climate change will add an extra stress on sensitive
Arctic marine ecosystems, on top of other human
impacts 1
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Loss of habitat and forage bases
increased pollution impacts
increased competition with temperate species
impacts due to increased human traffic and development in
previously inaccessible areas
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Multiple human activities lead to cumulative impacts
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Policy response must build on
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Precautionarity
Ecosystem approach
1 ACIA 2004
European Commission
DG Maritime Affairs and Fisheries
Impacts on living marine resources
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Changes in distribution of resources
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Opening of access to harvest as large ocean
areas become accessible
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Possibly fundamental changes in the productivity
and species composition of harvestable
resources
European Commission
DG Maritime Affairs and Fisheries
Policy response
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Sound knowledge is key to appropriate policy
responses – research, data collection, dissemination
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Mitigation: low emission technologies
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Mitigation: Integrated approach for all human impact
to mitigate cumulative effects
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Precautionarity, responsibility and responsivity:
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A precautionary ecosystem approach
Adaptive because future changes cannot be predicted
Responsible and responsive
European Commission
DG Maritime Affairs and Fisheries
Policy response – prevent legal vacuum
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Changed distribution and access to new areas: Close all legal
loopholes for IUU harvest before the fact
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Changed distributions and new occurrences will create potentials for new
fisheries and
IUU fisheries may emerge as a result
Mechanisms must be established which can provide for regulated access
to new fishing opportunities, respecting the interests of indigenous
populations.
Changing distribution of fish stocks may challenge existing keys for
distribution of access to fishing
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Commission takes the view that principles for rules for access should be
discussed prior to such changes
• The interests of indigenous people must be protected
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Urgent to get a legal framework to prevent IUU activities
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Existing organisations should preferably be used. Fisheries: NEAFC
already covers part of Arctic and has all but one countries as
contracting or cooperating parties – no need to reinvent the wheel
European Commission
DG Maritime Affairs and Fisheries