Improving EEA marine indicators: a review of Improving EEA marine indicators: a review of their performance now and in the futuretheir performance now and in the future

Trine ChristiansenColleagues in ETC/Water

Eva Royo Gelabert

2

A bit of history...A bit of history...

• New ETC/Water started in Janurary 2007• Roughly 10 new people and institutions working on EEA

indicators.• A review of existing work was necessary to establish a

baseline and a strategy for future work.

Indicator scoping report:Improving EEA marine indicators: a review of their performance and ’next steps’Authors: ETC/W and EEA

3

Why do we care about indicators?Why do we care about indicators?

• Indicators are the basis of information held at the EEA

• They are used as the foundation for all EEA reports.

• Governs the information that we request from Member States

• Types of indicators:• Core set indicators (regularly updated indicators) that

cover aspects of eutrophication, fisheries and chemical pollution and bathing water quality

• Specialized indicators to address oil pollution, climate change, and biodiversity

4

EEA definition: An indicator is an analysis of a data EEA definition: An indicator is an analysis of a data set designed to address a specific policy question.set designed to address a specific policy question.

Example: Is the use of commercial fish stocks sustainable?

Key messages•In the NE Atlantic, about one third of assessed stocks are outside safe biological limits. •In the Mediterranean, about half of the assessed stocks are fished outside safe biological limits.•In the Black Sea no stocks are assessed.

Key messages are followed by an assessment

5

Indicator scoping report has adressed:Indicator scoping report has adressed:

• Relevance of policy question• Relevance of data used in analysis• Data coverage• Methodology

But not the assessments!

6

Eutrophication: nutrients and Eutrophication: nutrients and chlorophyll-a (CSI 21 and 23) chlorophyll-a (CSI 21 and 23)

• Highly relevant indicators linked to Nitrates, UWWT, WF and MSF Directives

• Poor temporal and spatial data coverage

• No targets implemented making it difficult to address severity of problems

• Only partial description of problems related to eutrophication

7

ImprovementsImprovements

• Data coverage in the coastal zone:• Strengthen link to WFD

monitoring=> WISE SoE reporting process.

• Implement reference conditions as they become available to allow judging distance to a target.

• Integrate remotely sensed chl-a into the CSI023 indicator.

Chl-a indicators - North Sea 1998-2006

0% 20% 40% 60% 80% 100%

Globcolour /Marcoastequivalentindicator

EEA indicator

% of pixels

Decrease

No trend

Increase

Example of preliminary comparison in the North Sea produced by MarCoast

Trend analysis of in-situ data

Trend analysis of remotely sensed data

8

Hazardous substances and oil pollutionHazardous substances and oil pollution

• Candidate indicator on heavy metals and toxic organic substances in marine species.

• Two oil pollution indicators:• Discharge of oil from

refineries• Accidental oil spills and

illegal discharges of oil at sea

9

ImprovementsImprovements

• We hope that you will support the adoption of the indicator on chemicals into EEA Core Set and in this way establish regularly updated pan-European assessments

• We are hoping to work with EMSA in the future to incoorporate earth observation information on illegal operational discharges at sea.

10

Fisheries and AquacultureFisheries and Aquaculture

• Status of marine fish stocks

• Fishing fleet capacity• Attempt to describe

fisheries pressure by measuring power, numbers and size of fishing vessels

• Aquaculture production• Tracks aquaculture

production

11

Problems and ImprovementsProblems and Improvements

• Indicator adresses a very relevant problem but using inadequate data

• Data on direct effort and pressure such as ”days at sea”, fleet activities, and gear type will be included.

• Policy questions: • Is current level of aquaculture

production sustainable?• What is the environmental

performance of aquaculture production?

• Better reflection of environmental impact i.e. nutrient inputs.

• Better assessment of genetic pollution, alien species, or parasites as data become available.

Fishing fleet capacity Aquaculture

12

Climate change impacts Climate change impacts

• Based on historical data and earth observation data.

• Straight forward to update => planned incorporation into EEA Core Set in 2008-2009.

13

Northward movement of marine speciesNorthward movement of marine species

• Northward movement is occuring in the marine environment.

• Phenomena that occurs on a very large scales and requires targeted observations.

• Collaboration with research insitutions such as SAHFOS is required.

• Most data sets cover the north Atlantic region. More work is needed by the EEA to identify whether other datasets are available in other areas.

14

BiodiversityBiodiversity

• Sea grasses in coastal waters:• For SEBI 2010 • Preparation of dossier

on availale informaiton• Collaboration with WFD

inter-callibration group to provide basis for a pan-European assessment

• Marine trophic index• Shows reduction in

amount of large fish in the ocean.

• Based on catch statistics and assigning trophic levels to fish catches

UK MTI based on ICES landings data for IV, VIa, VIIa, d-h, all countries, all species (except plants)

3.20

3.30

3.40

3.50

3.60

3.70

3.80

3.90

1973 1978 1983 1988 1993 1998 2003

Year

MT

I

MTI (Ecopath TLs) MTI(Nisotope TLs)

15

New IndicatorsNew Indicators

• Water Framework Directive:biological indicators• phytoplankton species composition• Benthic invertebrate fauna• Habitat building species

• GMES• Water column temperature and sea ice

16

Review of data and methodology for 14 Review of data and methodology for 14 EEA indicatorsEEA indicators

GOOD ADEQUATE POOR

Indicator policy question compared to information used

11 1Sea grasses

2fishing fleet capacity aquaculture production

Data coverage 7Accidental oil spillsFishing fleet capacityAquaculture productionSea surface temperatureSea level riseSea grassesBathing water quality

5Haz. substancesOil dischargeStatus of fish stocks Northward movementMarine trophic index

2Nutrients and chlorophyll in coastal, transitional and marine waters

17

PrioritiesPriorities

• Future indicator work will emphasize• Fishing fleet capacity• Aquaculture production• Improving data coverage on nutrients and

chlorophyll-a• Improving data coverage in the Mediterranean

and Black Seas

18

Can you share with the EEA and ETC/W the Can you share with the EEA and ETC/W the need for:need for:

• Improving and further developing the existing suite of indicators?

• The suggested prioritisation for improvements:• fishing fleet capacity and aqua culture production (more

appropriate data needed)?• Nutrients and chlorophyll-a (poor data coverage)?• Improving data availability for the Black and Mediterranean

Seas?

• Are you ready to support the sugeested improvements by• Annually submitting the data needed to ensure adequate

coverage?• Participating in country review of the annual indicator updates?