Some important environmental problems for fisheries and aquaculture in the Nordic countries Nordisk idéverksted, Finnøy 24 mai 2004 Nordisk idéverksted 24 May 2004 WWF Maren Aschehoug Esmark Marine conservation officer

WWF (World Wide Fund for Nature) The worlds largest environmental NGO 5 million member globally (5.000 in Norway) Conservation programs and projects in 100 countries Marine conservation is high priority WWF in Norway works with shipping, oil & gas, aquaculture, fisheries, wild salmon, marine protected areas and seamammals. The WWF office in Oslo hosts the WWF Arctic Program and the Barents Sea Ecoregion Program. Funding from members, industry and government. (mainly from NORAD to WWF projects in Africa) Nordisk idéverksted, Finnøy 24 mai 2004

Global fisheries and aquaculture production Fisheries is today defined as one of the largest threat to global marine ecosystems Aquaculture is the worlds fastest growing food sector - and further growth is expected Important economic sectors in the Nordic countries Sectors with significant impact on the marine environment Nordisk idéverksted, Finnøy 24 mai 2004

The coastal zone - biodiversity & human activities Fish, plants, kelp, shell, crusteceans, mammals, sand, minerals, birds etc. Fishing, fish farming, fish processing, transportation, wood processing, ship building, large industry etc. Recreation, protection of habitats and species Nordisk idéverksted, Finnøy 24 mai 2004

Status of some coastal fish The sad story of cod.. Globally, catches have gone down by 70% the last 30 years. Today, Norway, Russia and Iceland manage the last, large, remaining stocks.. Nordisk idéverksted, Finnøy 24 mai 2004 FAO Fishstats 2002

Norwegian coastal cod in strong decline ICES recommended “full stop” in fishing New management plan fails to rebuild the stock Nordisk idéverksted, Finnøy 24 mai 2004

Other fish species that might be relevant? Lumpfish Anglerfish European eel Golden redfish Ling, Blue ling, Tusk - And spawning area for herring and capelin! Nordisk idéverksted, Finnøy 24 mai 2004

Other species present in coastal areas… Iceland Scallop European lobster Knotted wrack & large kelp Crab & Norway lobster Shrimp Sea urchin Red king crab Nordisk idéverksted, Finnøy 24 mai 2004

“Seal fishing” Breeding area for coastal seals Nordisk idéverksted, Finnøy 24 mai 2004 IMR advice for 2004: greyseals common seals

Aquaculture - a diverse sector with significant environmental impact Nordisk idéverksted, Finnøy 24 mai 2004 Fish feed sourcing from non-sustainable fisheries Transmission of diseases or pathogens from farmed fish to wild Escapes of farmed fish Discharge of nutrients and chemicals Extraction of water Disturbance and interaction with wildlife

Seabass farm in Greece 30% of world fish catch goes to fishmeal and fish oil - of this 2/3 are used for aquaculture feeds… Nordisk idéverksted, Finnøy 24 mai 2004 Global fish feed situation

Amount of wild caught fish used to produce farmed salmon and trout Nordisk idéverksted, Finnøy 24 mai 2004

The small & ugly Fully fished sea areas, some species overfished (blue whiting, sandeel) Governments advocate increased use of industry fish for human consumption in both Peru and EU The precautionary principle will not allow increased catch of these species because they play such an important role in the marine ecosystems as prey for other fish, birds and mammals. Nordisk idéverksted, Finnøy 24 mai 2004

Status of wild Atlantic salmon Nordisk idéverksted, Finnøy 24 mai 2004

- Campaigners against fish farming - Consumers are aware of environmental issues - Sustainable seafood guides say: Avoid farmed salmon - Fish farming needs “positive” attention! NGO’s Media Market Consumers

Sealice - The little salmon killer Sealice can be lethal to salmonids Sealice can infect from farmed/escaped to wild and from wild/escaped to farmed Areas with high farming density can have high sealice density and is probably the direct cause of declining wild salmon and seatrout stocks in some areas. Sealice densities are an accute threat to wild stocks of salmon and seatrout in Hardangerfjorden. Nordisk idéverksted, Finnøy 24 mai 2004

Sealice - The little salmon killer The Norwegian Sealice Regulation ( ) Vetrinary authorities can issue penalities, demand treatment and close down farms (but they don’t…) Fish farmers must report sealice levels every 2nd week and are obliged to treat when levels exceed 0,5 mature female louse (but they don’t…) Surveillance of sealice density in fjords should be monitored and synchronised treatment take place with the aim to protect wild fish. Nordisk idéverksted, Finnøy 24 mai 2004

Escaped fish Escaped farmed fish can give long term negative effects as offspring have shown lower survival rate Escaped fish can be a carrier of sealice and can spread lice to wild fish and reinfect farms Escaped fish can compete with wild fish for food and habitat Escape numbers is NOT a good indicator of environmental impact as it says nothing about survival rate or where the escaped fish go. In addition there are indications of significant underreporting of escapes. Amounts of escaped fish in fjords, coastal areas and in rivers are better indicators of environmental performance and should be monitored in fjords and rivers with important salmon runs or seatrout stocks. Nordisk idéverksted, Finnøy 24 mai 2004

Proportion of farmed Atlantic salmon (unweighted means) in marine fisheries in Norway Nordisk idéverksted, Finnøy 24 mai 2004

Proportion of farmed Atlantic salmon (unweighted means) in rod catches (1 June-18 August)(blue) and brood stock catches (18 August- 30 November)(red) in Nordisk idéverksted, Finnøy 24 mai 2004

Exclusion zones for salmonid aquaculture in Norway In february 2003 the Norwegian Parliament established national salmon fjords and salmon rivers. The aim is to protect important salmon runs from impact such as hydropower, agriculture, forestry, fish farming etc. Five fjords will be fish farm free (marine aquaculture is allowed) Strict regulations to prevent escapes and disease/parasite transfer will apply in the national salmon fjords. New fjords and rivers will come

Discharge of nutrients Nordisk idéverksted, Finnøy 24 mai 2004 Background Aquaculture Agriculture Population Industry Discharge of Phosphore into Norwegian waters Discharge of Nitrogen

Medication use: Nordisk idéverksted, Finnøy 24 mai 2004

Hatcheries and land based fish farming g.salaris found in hatcheries for both farmed fish and in restocking production… Large propotion of escaped farmed fish comes from land based hatcheries. Nordisk idéverksted, Finnøy 24 mai 2004

Shell farming Accumulation of dead mussels under the farm Increased number of predators such as crabs, eiderducks, guillemots etc. In the NGO community - shellfish farming is concidered a very sustainable way to produce food! Nordisk idéverksted, Finnøy 24 mai 2004

“Sea ranching” (Havbeite) Precaution - No knowledge on environmental effects (2000) At prestent there is a push to issue new licences, but there is no EIAs and there is no env. monitoring.. Native species? Ecological effects? Migration? Stock estimates?, Diseases? No take zones? Minimum landing size? Property rights…. Nordisk idéverksted, Finnøy 24 mai 2004

New marine species - New environmental challenges “To open a cod is like entering a microscopic zoo” - No generation separation - Escape attitude - Local cod stocks are already in strong decline - No knowledge of possible genetic interactions - Regulations are not sufficient (fallowing, exclusion zones) Nordisk idéverksted, Finnøy 24 mai 2004

WWF and the Water Framework Directive “Tips and tricks” for Water Framework Direcktive implementation - A resource document for environmental NGOs on the EU guidance for the implementation of the Water Framework Directive. (March Vanndirektivet - Et miljøløft med startvansker (April Nordisk idéverksted, Finnøy 24 mai 2004

Important principles in the Water Framework Directive Stakeholder participation Polluter Pays Principle Holistic approach to management Clear environmental objectives Nordisk idéverksted, Finnøy 24 mai 2004

The EU Water Framework Directive - Relevant questions? - Is a “transition area” were 80% of migrating smolt dies of sealice infestation in good condition? - Is a river with 70% escaped farmed fish in good condition? - Is a river with 50% less water flow in good condition? - Is a “transition area” with little cod left in good condition? - Is a river with a healty salmon population due to artifical liming in good condition? - Is a “transition area” invaded by king crab in good condition? Nordisk idéverksted, Finnøy 24 mai 2004

WWF sees the directive as a great opportunity for improving water quality! Set progressive and clear ecological goals for rivers and fjords (transition areas) Relevant governmental bodies and industry must have clear responsibillity for surveilance and monitoring - Set clear treshold limits - Have clear decision rules - Transparent information Nordisk idéverksted, Finnøy 24 mai 2004

As a minimum - WWF expects the WFD to: Treshold limits - Max. 10 % escaped fish in salmon rivers? - Max. 4 mature sealice on migrating smolt? “Decision rules” - action when treshold is reached - If treshold is broken, imideate action is taken Transparent information - All information about ecological quality is available! Nordisk idéverksted, Finnøy 24 mai 2004