Download Role of the IAEA marine Environment laboratories in

Role of the IAEA Marine Environment
Laboratories in supporting regional seafood
safety Contaminants and Seafoods- their ecological and socioEnvironmental
economic
significance
Ross Jeffree and Florence Boisson
Radioecology Laboratory,
IAEA MEL, MONACO
International Atomic Energy Agency
IAEA - Marine Environment Laboratory
Issues to be covered…..
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Effects of marine contaminants in seafoods;
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IAEA support mechanisms;
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human health & their sale and export
Regional training programmes/Regional Office of the RCA (S. Korea)
IAEA HABS Collaborating Centre at PNRI, Philippines
Coordinated Research Project on Seafood Safety
Future regional impacters on seafoods;
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Ocean acidification; high risk of future severe impact to coral reef ecosystems,
marine biodiversity and aquaculture
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Expanding nuclear power programmes in region
Beyond ‘environmental hand-wringing’
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Valuing the full economic costs of environmental impacts on seafoods for policy
impact
Engagement with the relevant policy formulation organisations
International Atomic Energy Agency
IAEA - Marine Environment Laboratory
Management of Harmful Algal Blooms impacts
In 1996, in response to PHI request, the International
Atomic Energy Agency developed program activities to
assist Member States in mitigating impacts of Harmful
Algae on human health and seafood safety, through
capacity building (research & monitoring), based on:
ISOTOPIC TECHNIQUES
FOR HABs TOXINS AND
FOSSIL CYSTS DATING
Alexandrium catenella, clone
ACC01, Aysén fjord; Amaro et al.,
International Atomic Energy Agency
IAEA - Marine Environment Laboratory
Isotopic techniques for HABs monitoring
In the Philippines, an IAEA Collaborating
Centre was established. The Receptor
Binding Assay method is used to:
- Monitor the levels of PSP toxins in
seafood
- Study the transfer of PSP toxins in the
food chain for HABs management
RBA sample being prepared for Paralytic Shellfish Poisoning
Photos Credits: PNRI
International Atomic Energy Agency
IAEA - Marine Environment Laboratory
IAEA assistance
Capacity building
Information networks
Through the Technical Officer, (MEL) and the Project
Management Officer (in Vienna), IAEA assists Member States in:
Transferring and establishing the isotopic technologies selected
Establishing collaboration with appropriate experts & UN org
Improving national HABs monitoring programs and coastal zone
management
International Atomic Energy Agency
IAEA - Marine Environment Laboratory
Effects of marine contaminants in seafoods…….
• Contaminants as blockers of seafood exports…..
• eg. natural elevated levels of cadmium in shellfish have hindered their exports to
the EU.
• Potential solution to this trade problem;
– Change the international standard of CODEX ALIMENTARIUS!
• Mechanism being used to address this trade problem…..
– An IAEA/FAO-funded Coordinated Research Project (CRP) that has;
• developed an international expanded database on quality-assured Cd levels in
shellfish
• has included partners with representation on CODEX ALIMENTARIUS to facilitate a
review of the Cd level in shellfish, based on this new data.
• Outcome so far……..new database provided by CRP members is under CODEX
review to
recommend a higher acceptable Cd concentration in shellfish
International Atomic Energy Agency
IAEA - Marine Environment Laboratory
Future regional impacters on seafoods……..ocean
acidification
Orr et al. 2005 (Nature)
Reddish colours: seawater becomes corrosive to some marine animal shells
International Atomic Energy Agency
IAEA - Marine Environment Laboratory
Increasing Acidity
Predicted biological outcome for the marine environment: when partial pressures of
C02 reach 560 ppm (in c. 40 years) all coral reefs will cease to grow and start to
dissolve (Silverman et al, 2009)
High regional marine biodiversity associated with coral reefs…….
Contours of generic diversity in corals
2005)
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ocean acidification as the preeminent marine contaminant, with
the high risk to change regional
physical geography of the marine
environment
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50% of marine biodiversity in the
Indo-west Pacific
(from Cox & Moore,•
Impacts on calcifying shellfish
important in;
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Longitudinal gradients of fish species richness
Aquaculture?
Subsistence harvesting?
(from Cox &
Moore, 2005)
International Atomic Energy Agency
IAEA - Marine Environment Laboratory
Future regional impacters on seafoods……
Nuclear power plants- now and in the
future
29 in region
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Environmental risks to seafood
acceptability
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Environmental benefit of
mitigation of carbon emissions,
with regard to;
•Sea level rise
•Extreme weather events
•Ocean acidification
International Atomic Energy Agency
IAEA - Marine Environment Laboratory
Beyond environmental hand-wringing to policy
impact.....
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A template for environmental policy impact?
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The Stern Review, The Economics of Climate Change
• Used the IPCC science of climate change and impact to economically value the costs of doing
nothing vs the costs of CO2 mitigation, to show;
– The economic logic of investing in mitigation of carbon emissions, that has influenced
governments to ACT-
» Economists are closer to the Minister than the Environmental Scientist
» Copenhagen, December 2009!
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The message……………..work with economists to both economically value;
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The potential economic losses of regional coastal resources from human impacts
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The economic costs of mitigation,
….As a fundamental starting point to leverage governmental decisionmaking
International Atomic Energy Agency
IAEA - Marine Environment Laboratory
Beyond environmental hand-wringing to policy
impact.....
• A practical example……..
-The Monaco Environment & Economics Group-,
includes expertise in marine biology, ocean acidification
modelling and economic valuation of natural resources
It has;
1) undertaken first study of future economic
impacts of
ocean acidification on Mediterranean
seafood*;
-the science has underpinned the economic analysis,
-the economic analysis has clarified what science is
needed
for better economic valuation
*
Hilmi N., Allemand D., Jeffree R., Orr J. (2009). Future economic impacts of ocean acidification on Med seafoods: first assessment summary.
Proc. 9th Int. Conf. on the Medit. Coastal Envir., 13-17 Nov., Sochi, Russia.
International Atomic Energy Agency
IAEA - Marine Environment Laboratory
The Monaco Environment & Economics
Group2) organising an international workshop in Monaco in 2010;
Bridging the Gap between Ocean
Acidification Impacts and Economic
Valuation
to bring ocean acidification scientists and natural resource
economists together to discuss the issue, with observers from UN
organisations
International Atomic Energy Agency
IAEA - Marine Environment Laboratory
Conclusions…..
• The IAEA, in conjunction with RCARO has resources and mechanisms
to assist with management of problems associated with
contaminants in seafoods
• The regional growth of NPP will enhance our focus in the MEL in
marine radioecology to support regional capacity to manage their
environmental impacts
• Can we solve the looming problem of ocean acidification?
– Maybe through environment/economic valuation to enhance policy impact and
response
International Atomic Energy Agency
IAEA - Marine Environment Laboratory